The Twelve Days of Christmas
by Grizzly98
Summary: It's twelve days until Christmas eve and Lucy finds a package. In the package is a bracelet and a note signed by a Secret Santa. Lucy must take the twelve days, notes, and gifts and find out who it is. Will she figure it out or will she lose the one person who loves her more than all the stars in the sky? Co-op with XSteleAliniax. Loosely based on the movie.
1. On the First Day

**Grizzly : Hey Stele?**

 **xSteleAliniax : Yeah, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly : What exactly is this story?**

 **Stele : So, you know that whole "Natsu secretly loves Lucy but is too dense and moronic to actually use normal ways to tell her?"**

 **Grizzly : Yea, wait, what did Natsu do this time?**

 **Stele : Well, we all know that Natsu isn't the best at being in love, or showing his true feelings for that matter. So, of course, being Natsu, he cooks up this elaborate plan to tell Lucy how he feels without actually having to use any words—because we all know that Natsu isn't the best at using words, either *laughs* Right, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly : Ain't that the truth, so now to all y'all readers, I'm going to leave it you to figure out how he does this. One more question for you, though, Stele.**

 **Stele : Ask away!**

 **Grizzly : Who owns Fairy Tail, and it's characters, and who refuses to make NaLu canon?**

 **Stele : Great question, Grizz. I'm pretty sure it's that Hiro Mashima guy, who is constantly teasing all of us Nalu shippers! **

**Grizzly : With that being said, we'll let the readers move on to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" Have fun!**

 **Stele : Don't forget to follow, favorite, and leave us a review to let us know your thoughts!**

* * *

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the First Day

Snow falls on a cloudy day in the town of Magnolia, this winter being one of the rarer white ones. In a house on Strawberry street a woman sleeps as the snow settles outside.

Well that is until a man with pink hair and a flying blue cat opens her window and lets the cold in waking said sleeping woman.

She turns over and her eyes flutter open to reveal dark chocolate orbs filled with confusion that turns to anger when they land on the duo ruffling around in her kitchen.

With a smirk she gets up slowly and quietly leans on the door frame connecting her room to the kitchen. When their backs are turned towards her she speaks.

"What are you two doing here?" The cat whirls around but as the pink haired male goes to rise he hits his head on the fridge.

Climbing out he raises his hand to his head to feel the back of his head even as he does it in embarrassment.

"Hey Luce, when did you get up?" She scowls at his question and waves a hand at the open window.

"How about when you left the window open?" He turns his gaze towards the window he had come through and then back to her.

"Hey Lushi, are you coming to the guild today?"

She looks at the cat but her scowl doesn't fade. "Yes Happy I'm coming to the guild. I promised to help Mira set up decorations for the Christmas party."

Turning around she throws over her shoulder, "Now I'm going to get ready since I doubt I'll be able to go back to sleep, by the time I get out of the shower I expect you both to be gone or else I'll Lucy kick you to the guild."

As she shuts the door she hears an "Aye sir" from both.

When the males hear the shower run, Happy turns to the male. "Natsu, do you think we should go ahead and go?"

Natsu goes back to the fridge and shuts it before going to lay on her bed. "Nah, we can stay here for a little while longer, Lucy takes a really long time to get ready."

Happy lands and lays down on a pillow, promptly falling asleep while Natsu watches the ceiling at least until the water shuts off.

Opening the bathroom door, a tick mark appears on her forehead at the sight of her partners lounging on her bed instead of being gone. So she does the reasonable thing.

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Natsu and Happy both hop up at her screech and flee towards the window.

Though only Happy gets away scot free, Natsu has help getting out the window from a strong Lucy kick.

Lucy huffs and shuts and locks the window before turning and getting ready to leave for the guild by changing into a pair of pajama jeans, a long sleeve turtleneck, and a black pea coat that accentuates her frame.

Tying her keys to her belt, she walks out the door only to almost trip over a box. Picking it up she carries it with her as she continues on her way to the guild, stopping to chat to some shopkeepers along the way.

As she walks down the street towards the guild hall wreaths hang from the light posts while ribbons and tinsel hang from windows and gutters alike.

Arriving at the guild hall she pushes the door open and ducks to avoid a flying body before walking over to the bar where a blue-haired mage and a white-haired mage sit and talk.

"Hey Mira, Hey Levy-chan" Both mages turn to her and wave, then Levy notices the package under Lucy's arm. "Lu-chan, what's in the package?"

Lucy pulls the package out and shrugs, admiring the dark purple star wrapping paper. "I honestly don't know, I almost tripped over it when I left my apartment."

"Well why don't you open it and see what's inside?" Lucy looks up from the package to the white-haired take over mage. "I don't know Mira, I mean I don't even know if it's for me."

She raises the package to her ear and when she shakes it a clink can be heard. "Come on, Lu-chan, what's the possibility of it belonging to anyone else if it was sitting in front of your door?"

Finally, Lucy gives in and slowly undoes the wrapping paper, revealing a small cherry red box with a star engraved on the top, and opening the box she pulls out a golden bracelet.

"Woah, Lu-chan, that's a pretty bracelet." She looks up from the bracelet to see Levy wearing a shocked look.

"That's not all, Lucy look at this note." Mira hands a note to Lucy that had been sitting in the bottom of the bigger box and she reads it outloud.

 _On the first day of Christmas I give you a bracelet._

 _One that will hold more than simple gifts._

 _On the second day of Christmas look for a charm that glows with a fire all its own._

 _Your Secret Santa._

"What's that supposed to mean?" Levy snaps her fingers and pulls out a book about three inches thick and flips to a page.

"Lu-chan I think your Secret Santa is going to do the twelve days of Christmas."

"Wait what are the twelve days of Christmas?" She sets the bracelet back into the box along with the note as Levy sets the book down and slides it in front of her.

"Apparently, for twelve days before Christmas Day, a guy would give a gift to the girl he loved, and on Christmas Eve, the last gift would reveal his love to her if she didn't figure it out first."

Lucy sits back in her chair to think it over, unaware that a certain dragon slayer is listening in as well. "But wait, who could this Secret Santa be then?"

Mira has a spark in her eyes as she catches the slayer's eye but turns back to the girl's conversation. "Lucy, who do you think it could be?"

"I honestly don't know, Mira, I mean I've had a lot of guys ask me out to the Christmas party..." Levy hums as the gears turn in her head, and then she grabs the bracelet.

"How about we wait for the rest of the gifts to appear, maybe that'll help us." Levy suggests. Lucy nods and turns when an ink haired magic lands next to the bar.

"Gray, don't you think you and Natsu are fighting kind of hard today?" The ice mage jumps up and takes in the scene at the bar before throwing lances at Natsu.

"This is the only time we have, Erza won't be back for a week and Flame Brain pissed me off more than usual today." He jumps, dodging a flaming fist and kicks Natsu into the wall.

After making sure Natsu is safely lodged in the wall he walks over to the bar where the girls sit and looks at the box and bracelet spread on the counter.

"What's up with the bracelet?" He settles into the chair next to Lucy as she fills him in on the situation and he takes on a thoughtful look.

"Well I'll save you from being drowned by telling you it ain't me." He says the last part loud enough for the simmering water mage hiding behind the column to hear and she cools off while the girls at the counter look amused.

"Speaking of which, what are you two doing for Christmas?" Mira says, as small hearts begin to float around her head.

Gray shakes his head at the take over mage and looks to make sure Juvia isn't close enough to hear. "I'm taking Juvia ice skating Christmas Eve." He finally whispers, low enough for only the three in front of him to hear.

Of course them being girls they squeal, but it stops short when Gray is kicked off of the stool only to be replaced with a grinning Natsu.

"Hey Luce, want to take a short mission?" Before she can reply, Natsu has her by the wrist and is hauling her off to the mission board while Mira turns to Levy. "When are they gonna realize they are perfect together?"

Levy sighs and flips a couple pages in her book before shutting it. "I honestly don't know, Mira, they're both so dense. And now with this Secret Santa going after Lucy, we have to speed up our plans."

Mira is quiet, and Levy looks up to see a thoughtful look on Mira's face. "Actually, Levy, I think Natsu's not as dense as he looks."

They watch as the two argue over a mission before Natsu walks over with the paper while Lucy stomps to the front door. Mira stamps the paper without a word and he catches up to Lucy at the door only for her to Lucy kick him.

"On second thought maybe he is."

A few hours later the guild doors slam open and a tired looking Lucy and a cheerful Natsu walk in. She drags her feet and plops down on her stool while Mira sets a strawberry shake in front of her.

"You okay, Lucy?" Lucy takes a long drink from the milkshake before scowling at where Natsu is trying to get Gray to fight again.

"We were supposed to take out a couple of giant hamsters the next town over and bring the skins to the clients, but he ended up turning them into ashes and lost us the reward."

Mira grabs a barrel from under the bar and sits on it as she places her chin in her hands before saying "So what exactly happened on the mission?"

"Well after I Lucy Kicked Natsu out the door we walked over to the next town and met with the clients. Really nice elderly couple that wanted the skins as presents for their grandkids. Anyway, they told us where the hamster's den was and Natsu tracked it down pretty quickly and we got to work." She takes a breath and a drink of her milkshake before continuing.

"It wasn't hard there were just two of them to take down, and it went pretty quickly. After they went down Natsu went to work on skinning them and I turned my back to not see it." Mira frowns and looks up when a chair goes flying before turning back to Lucy.

"So, if they went down, how did Natsu burn them?" Lucy scowls again. "I have a better question for you, can you tell me how a grizzly bear, which is supposed to be hibernating, is awake and trying to take the hamsters?"

Mira nods as the pieces fall in place. "So, Natsu fought off the bear but went overboard and ended up turning the hamsters to ash?" Lucy nods and yawns.

"Alright, Mira, I'm gonna go ahead home, see you tomorrow." She stands and walks out the door for the night.

* * *

 **Well now it's just me as Stele's busy editing a chapter for this story. You know when I first asked her I was so nervous because I had never done a co-op like this, but as we started talking I found out she actually wanted to do something along the same lines so it works in both our favors.**

 **Plus she's amazing at catching any mistakes that I normally may miss, which I do for her as well. Now you're probably asking what's this got to do with anything. Well a lot of the people on here are really nice and are always willing to help another writer who's nervous about moving forward.**

 **There's no need to be nervous, take it from me. I started writing in August of this year and it's taken me this long to build up the courage to ask someone to do a co-op.**

 **But I'm rambling. Make sure you hop over and check out Stele. She is an amazing writer, and get's an amazing amount of work done with a crazy packed schedule.**

 **Whelp that's my spiel. I got a chapter to finish writing and I'm sure Stele is getting impatient. Oh look at that she just texted me 'Patience is overrated.' XD**

 **Gotta go.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**


	2. On the Second Day

**Stele : Hey, Grizz, can you tell us a bit about how we are doing this story?**

 **Grizzly : Well, we decided that since the plot was my idea, that I would write the first chapter and as we got to talking we figured we would alternate chapters. Meaning that if you're reading an odd chapter you get to see me, but if you read an even chapter then you're reading Stele's writing. **

**Stele : Right! **

**Grizzly : Now Stele I have a question for you.**

 **Stele : What's your question, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly : Now seeing as we already have 20 followers I feel we should give them a bit of a reward if they review. We already have 6 reviews so what do you say that if we can get 5 or more reviews for this chapter we will give the readers a sneak peek for chapter four?**

 **Stele : A sneak peek?**

 **Grizzly : Yea, I've seen a few other authors do it. And basically the idea behind it is that if you, the readers, want to see more of this story you have to leave reviews. Since we got six reviews for chapter one, at the end of this chapter where I sign off there will be a sneak peek of chapter three.**

 **Stele : Ooh, sounds fun! **

**Grizzly : Now there's not much left to be said without ruining the fun for y'all so with the usual Follow, Fave, and review for sneaks we give you Chapter Two.**

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Chapter Two

On The Second Day

The next morning, Lucy wakes to an icy chill running up her body. She shivers, sitting up and glancing around the sunlit room. A scowl settles into place when she see's the window has been left wide open, and Natsu, who's rummaging through her fridge for the second time in two days.

She flings the covers aside and stalks across the room with clenched fists. Amazingly, Natsu doesn't hear her approach until she Lucy Kicks him right in the rear. He falls head-first into the fridge with a curse. He spins around with a fist flaming, before he registers her stormy expression. He lets the flame die out and gives a toothy grin.

"Oh, hey, Luce!"

Lucy growls before answering. "Natsu, do you realize that it's _WINTER_?" She puts her hands on her hips and raises her eyebrows haughtily at him.

"Well, duh!" He answers with a roll of his eyes. Hers narrow in response as he continues. "It's snowing out there, you know." He says this like it's new information.

"I know," She replies flatly. "The window is blowing cold ass snow into my bedroom!" A gesture at the still-open window. He glances at it with an unconcerned expression.

"Yeah, you should probably close that." He suggests, before turning back to raid the fridge again. Lucy balls her hands into fists again and groans loudly before stomping across the room to close the window.

"I'm going to take a shower." She announces. "Take what you want and then get out. And use the front door!" She adds. "You better not be here when I come out."

"You want some help in there?" He offers with a suggestive wink. Her face goes beet red as she races into the bathroom. Just before she closes the door, she hears him chuckle.

When Lucy finishes her shower, she hesitantly cracks the door open and peeks out with narrowed eyes. When there's no sign of the Dragon Slayer, she pushes the door open and steps out in only a towel. The air is still chilly from the open window, and she shivers as the coldness hits her bare, wet skin like a bunch of ice shards.

She hurries over to her dresser and pulls out an outfit before racing back into the bathroom, where the steam from her shower still hangs in the air. She slams the door shut behind her, still shivering.

Once the shivering dies down, Lucy pulls the towel from her body and instead wraps her hair up so that the dripping strands don't stick to her naked body. She quickly slips on a pair of simple, lavender panties, followed by a pair of thick, dark purple leggings and a black skirt. She pairs this with a black long-sleeved top that has a purple cross pattern, with scattered flowers done in silver metallic ink around it. Thick black socks keep her toes from turning to ice, and a pair of black knee-high boots completes the look.

After she towel dries her hair, she blows out the rest of the remaining water and then pulls it back into a half side-ponytail before daring to venture back out into her room. When she does, she finds that it's not quite as cold as it was when her skin had still been wet, but since it's still on the chillier side she decides to light a nice fire to heat up the small area.

She kneels by the hearth, careful not to get soot on her outfit, and reaches to the place next to it to grab her matchbook. Her hand freezes mid-air as her eyes land on a small box wrapped in purple star wrapping paper, the exact wrapping as the bracelet she had received the day before.

Abandoning the fire for now, she takes the box over to the table where the golden bracelet still sits in its own box. She sets the new gift next to it and sits down in a chair, frowning over the two packages.

 _Who could these be from?_ She wonders. She picks up the smaller, still-wrapped parcel and examines the wrapping job. It is finely wrapped, almost professionally so, and a tiny, silver bow sits on the top left corner. She jangles it near her ear, listening, but no sound comes from inside.

Beyond curious, Lucy carefully peels back the wrapping paper to reveal an identical cherry-red box, though this one is dwarfed by the first one. It is maybe an inch from top to bottom, roughly the size of a dollar coin. She lifts off the lid of the box, and finds neatly packed cotton inside, concealing the contents of the package. That explains why she couldn't hear anything when she shook it earlier.

She pulls out the cotton, careful not to drop whatever item lay inside. Hidden inside the white material, lies a golden pendent in the shape of a flame. Lucy gasps, running a thumb over the smooth surface of the pendent. ' _No_ ,' she realizes, not a pendent. ' _It's a charm.'_ A small, delicate hook is connected to the flame.

Realization makes her suck in a sharp breath. She pulls out the golden bracelet, studying the small, gold links. She takes the flame, holds back the hook, and connects it to one of the links before holding it up.

"A charm bracelet," She says aloud. "But what could it mean?" She sets the bracelet on the table before taking the smaller of the two boxes into her hand, pulling out the remaining cotton to reveal a small, folded up note. She takes the note and unfolds it.

 _On the second day of Christmas, I give you a flame._ The note reads in swirling script.

 _A flame that symbolizes more than just simple heat._

 _On the third day of Christmas, look for a charm that can fly like a bird._

 _Your Secret Santa._

"Hmm." Lucy taps a finger to her chin as she frowns in thought. "Why does this only make me feel more confused than I already was?" With a groan of frustration, Lucy stands up, swiping the bracelet off the table as she does. She shrugs on her black pea coat, then takes a deep breath before braving the snowy world outside.

 **XxX**

At the guild, Lucy, Levy, and Mira are all hovering over the new addition to her bracelet.

"What do you think this means, Levy?" Lucy turns her gaze on her best friend, who is still frowning at the golden bracelet and charm. The blue-haired script mage picks it up and examines it with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know, Lu-chan," she answers after a long moment of thought. "Let me see that note again." She holds her hand out, and Lucy places the piece of paper into her open palm. Her green eyes scan over it a few times before they flick back to Lucy's. "These notes don't give you much to go on." She says with an apologetic smile. Lucy sighs heavily.

"Why don't you just go around and ask everyone?" Mira suggests with an exaggerated wink. Lucy frowns.

"I guess I'm going to have to, because I have no freaking clue what any of this means, or how I'm supposed to figure out who's sending these." A gesture at the bracelet in Levy's hand.

"And why," Levy adds, passing the bracelet back over.

"That, too." Lucy agrees with a small smile.

"Hiya, Luce!"

Lucy scowls as the familiar voice drifts over to her. He sits on the stool next to hers, and offers her a wide grin, to which she responds with a glower. His smile falters the tiniest bit. "Whatcha doin'?" He asks, ignoring the seething look in her eyes. She heaves a sigh, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist so she doesn't lose it.

"We're just talking, Natsu." She replies tiredly. It's only ten, and already she feels exhausted. All this Secret Santa stuff is too much. "Mira, I need a pick me up." She gives a flick of her wrist. The white-haired mage straightens up immediately.

"What will you have, Lucy?" She asks with a serious expression, pulling out a notepad. Lucy frowns at it, trying to remember if she's ever seen Mira use a notepad before. "A strawberry milkshake?" She suggests when Lucy doesn't speak up. The blonde shakes her head.

"No, it's too early. And it's too cold." As if response to her statement, her body gives a sudden shiver.

"Coffee?" Mira asks. Lucy wrinkles her nose in distaste.

"Can't stand the stuff." She replies. "Too bitter."

"Hot chocolate!" Levy crows, and she and Lucy share a grin.

"With peppermint," Lucy adds, and Levy shoots her a thumbs-up.

"Coming right up!" Mira chirps before disappearing into the back.

"So," Natsu says after a moment of silence has gone by. "How's the search coming along?" He gestures at her left wrist, where the gold bracelet hangs delicately. Lucy sighs audibly.

"It's not," she twists the bracelet until the flame charm is on top, then adds, "It's all so cryptic."

"Say what?" Natsu scrunches his face up in confusion.

"It's confusing." She rolls her eyes at his idiocy, then swivels in her chair to peer around the bustling guild hall at all the potential Secret Santa's. There's too many to count, making Lucy feel even more overwhelmed than she already was. "Well, at least I can count Gray off the list." She mutters, watching as the black-haired wizard arm wrestles with Elfman across the room.

"You can count me off, too!" Mira chirps, as she comes back out with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. She sets them down in front of Lucy and Levy, then gives a girlish giggle.

"Gee, thanks for that, Mira." Lucy deadpans, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because I was really starting to suspect it was you." Levy giggles. Natsu cackles loudly.

"Same here," Levy agrees through giggles.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you!" Mira grins at them both.

"Yeah, it's a huge bummer." Lucy says dryly, taking her mug and sipping the hot liquid.

"You should ask my brother!" Mira suddenly exclaims, blue eyes widening at the aforementioned white-haired wizard still battling it out with Gray. Lucy follows her gaze just in time to see Elfman crush Gray's arm against the table. He lets out a roar of victory.

"Yeah! And that's how a real man does it!"

Gray sulks, walking away while grumbling unintelligibly under his breath.

"Uh, you really think it could be him?" Lucy asks, trying to picture the burly man wrapping a dainty parcel like the one she found by her fireplace that morning.

"Oh, yes!" Mira drops her elbows onto the table, hearts in her eyes as she gazes at her brother. "Isn't he just the cutest?!"

Lucy chokes a little on her hot chocolate, and Natsu smacks her back until she can regain composure.

"I don't think it's him, Mira…" Lucy finally manages to get out.

"Well, let's ask him!" Mira suggests. Lucy opens her mouth to protest, but she's not fast enough. "Oh, Elfman!" Mira calls out loudly. Her brother turns toward her voice, then smiles widely before trudging over to their group. Lucy slinks into her chair, closer to Levy, hoping she would suddenly become invisible. Then again, that hadn't exactly worked out so well for her the first time…

"Hey, Mira," Elfman says, as he stands near them, chest puffed out before them. "Did you see my manly show of power back there?" He jabs a thumb behind him where he and Gray had been arm wrestling.

"Uh-huh!" Mira answers. "Hey, Elfman, Lucy wants to know if you're her Secret Santa!"

Lucy's cheeks flush bright red at Mira's bold question. ' _No need to beat around the bush, Mira!'_ Elfman's gaze falls on Lucy, and his eyes, so like his two sisters, lights up.

"Uh, yeah!" He says with a grin. "Of course I am!" Lucy narrows her eyes suspiciously. Natsu makes a sound that's somewhere between a laugh and a choke. Levy and Mira exchange a wide-eyed glance.

Lucy hides her left wrist behind her back before she speaks. "Okay, Elfman," she begins. "If you're my Secret Santa, then tell me what today's gift was." She waits with a triumphant expression as Elfman opens and closes his mouth like a fish.

This time, Natsu does laugh. Levy and Mira share disappointed looks. Lucy points behind him with a harsh glare. "Leave." He pokes his lip out and mutters something about being "not manly" under his breath before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

"Aw, I thought for sure it would be Elfman!" Mira pouts, looking utterly disappointed that her assumption had proved to be incorrect.

"That oaf?" Natsu scoffs. "Pfft. I'll help you out, Luce, if you want?" He offers. His eyes light up with an expression that looks almost hopeful. Lucy is immediately suspicious.

"Why?" She asks, and the Dragon Slayer shrugs. He pulls her hot chocolate in front of himself and takes a drink of the hot liquid before speaking.

"Because we're a team!" He finally answers. Lucy's glare softens. She steals back her cup and takes a long sip. The warm, sweet liquid gives her the energy she needs, and she's grateful that Levy suggested the beverage. She already feels less stressed, and not to mention warmer.

"Yeah, you're right, Natsu. We're a team!" She returns his smile, then finishes off her hot chocolate. "Well, then, let's get to it!"

"Right now?" He asks with a comically bemused expression. She rolls her eyes.

"No, Natsu, let's wait until my Secret Santa magically appears in front of me and then ask him." She sasses. He pouts.

"That's not a bad idea!" Mira sends Natsu a suggestive wink behind Lucy's back. When Lucy turns to look at the white-haired mage, Natsu sticks his tongue out at her.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asks with a frown.

"Oh, nothing!" Mira grins innocently.

"I think she means that your Secret Santa is probably closer than you might think." Levy suggests with a shrug.

"That's not exactly helpful." Lucy sighs. "Anyway, come on, Natsu. Let's go back to my place."

"Ooooh, you loooove him!" Happy snickers, suddenly appearing at her side.

"It's not like that, stupid cat!" She exclaims, giving him a death glare as he hurriedly cowers behind Natsu.

"Natsu, save me!" He shrieks as Lucy bares down on him.

"Better run, Happy!" Mira suggests with a giggle.

"Yeah, I can't save you from Scary Lucy." Natsu says apologetically. Happy looks over at him with a betrayed expression.

"How can you say that? I thought we were buddies?"

"Yeah, but she's scary." Natsu shrugs.

"I'm going to kill both of you idiots!" Lucy lunges, but Happy quickly dodges, flying up into the air so she can't reach him. Lucy lets out a furious groan of frustration.

"Come on, Scary Lucy!" Natsu puts his hands behind his head and starts walking casually from the guild hall. "Let's go before the snow gets too high."

"Why you-STOP CALLING ME SCARY LUCY!" Then she stomps after him, sending up puffs of dust from the unswept floors. Someone sneezes where they lie half asleep on the floor. Someone else chuckles.

"Two hundred jewel says they're gonna go make out!" Cana calls out from a table.

"Three hundred says she murders him before they even get there!" Max slams some money down on the table in front of Cana.

"You're on!" She lifts her beer mug and takes a long swig, then asks, "Anyone else?"

* * *

 **At the beginning of the chapter I said y'all would get a treat for leaving six reviews for the first chapter so here it is:**

 _"What the hell? This makes no more sense than the rest of the clues." Lucy screeches after finishing the note._

 _"Hey, Luce, you coming to the.. Is that the new clue?" Lucy turns at the question to see Natsu jumping off the window ledge into her room._

 _"Yes, it is, and it makes no more sense than the other clues did." He walks over and picks up the note, eyebrows furrowing as he reads it._

 **Now remember if you want to see a sneak peek of chapter four, then y'all readers need to leave a review. Five or more equals a sneak peek.**

 **Y'all are so lucky I can type with one hand or else I would never be able to get this done. You see I recently got a puppy. His name's Diesel and he's the cutest thing on Earth, the only downside is that he'll only sleep in the crook of my arm. But I could never turn him away, I mean I already have a little hellion of a cat, a rottweiler that thinks she's a lap dog, and a chihuahua that is as picky as they come when it comes to dinner time. And I've completely forgotten where I was going with this. Ugh. 'Til next time.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. When you get a puppy, buy A LOT of puppy pads. Or better yet.. Adopt.**


	3. On the Third Day

**Grizzly : Good morning Stele.**

 **Stele _:_ Good morning, Grizz! What's the topic for today's discussion?**

 **Grizzly: Well I seem to remember that in chapter two we agreed that if we got five or more reviews we would give them a sneak peek for chapter four. Is that correct?**

 **Stele: Right you are, Grizz! And we have well surpassed that number already! Isn't it exciting?!**

 **Grizzly: Aye sir, that it is. Y'all readers have shocked the hell out of Stele and I. When we dropped chapter two we only had six reviews. But now as we move into dropping chapter three we have fifteen reviews so far. So that means that at the end of this chapter you'll get your sneak peek. Which I may add Stele has so kindly picked out while I'm having computer issues. **

**Stele: *Wink* Right you, are, yet again. I have picked out something I think you all will find… Interesting. XD**

 **Grizzly: Now that we have that covered, I believe we left off last time with Lucy having the bracelet and the flame charm. To find out what she get's this time go read the chapter. Any leaving thoughts Stele?**

 **Stele: Nope! I think that about covers things. Read on to find out more!**

 **Grizzly: Alright well then don't forget to follow, fave, and review for sneaks and more.**

* * *

Chapter Three

On the Third Day

On the third day of Christmas Lucy rises to find the sun bright, the snow isn't falling today but the drifts are up to the door.

Sighing, she gets up and stretches before trudging her way to the bathroom. After her shower she steps out to find not a dragon slayer or exceed in sight.

Humming, she changes into a pair of sweats and a hoodie to ward off the cold while she cooks breakfast, but when she steps into the kitchen she stops, staring at a box that hangs over the kitchen table.

The box is wrapped similarly to the one that the flame charm came in yesterday with dark purple star wrapping paper, again wrapped almost professionally. Only this time it seems to hang from a rafter that sits over her table.

Stepping forward, she wraps a hand around the box and tugs, watching as the string that holds it to the rafter comes undone. Quickly undoing the string she unwraps the box, taking note of the cherry red box within before pulling off the lid.

Working her way through the cotton she finds a set of white wings, similar to the flame charm it has a golden hook. Picking up the bracelet from where it sits in its original box she hooks the wings to it before reaching under the cotton to find the new note.

She pulls the note out and unfolds it, softly reading the swirling script out loud.

 _On the third day of Christmas I give you wings._

 _Wings are a symbol of freedom,_

 _The freedom of will,_

 _or the freedom to love who you wish._

 _On the fourth day of Christmas,_

 _Look for that which is cold as ice but warm of heart._

 _Your Secret Santa._

"What the hell? This makes no more sense than the rest of the clues." Lucy screeches after finishing the note.

"Hey, Luce, you coming to the.. Is that the new clue?" Lucy turns at the question to see Natsu jumping off the window ledge into her room.

"Yes, it is, and it makes no more sense than the other clues did." He walks over and picks up the note, eyebrows furrowing as he reads it.

"So, what are you gonna do?" He inquires as she takes the note back from him and shrugs. "I'll probably have Levy-chan take a look at it and see what she can come up with, but I'll do that after I make breakfast."

She sets the note down to walk to the fridge but stops when Natsu says, "Why don't we just get breakfast at the guild? That way we can talk while you eat."

After thinking it over for a second she nods, and Natsu disappears into her room while she puts the bracelet with the charms and the notes into one of the boxes for safe keeping.

Walking to her room, she finds Natsu walking out holding her belt with her whip and keys for her. She smiles, handing him the box as she slips on her belt with her keys and whip already attached.

She takes the box back and they leave her apartment, making their way to the guild.

 **XxX**

At the guild, Lucy walks up to the bar while Natsu jumps into the brawl going on between Elfman, Gray, and Gajeel.

When Lucy sits in her stool, Levy drops down behind her and grabs the box from her. "Another gift, Lu-chan?" She drops her head in her hands as Levy opens the box.

"What do you think, Levy? And this time the clue is even more confusing." Lucy lifts her head up when Mira stops in front of her.

"Mira, can I get the usual for Natsu and I?" Mira smiles gently and nods. "Sure thing, Lucy, what do you want to drink?"

She hums for a few seconds as she taps her fingers on the counter. "I'll take another hot chocolate, if you don't mind."

Mira turns and disappears into the kitchen while Natsu drops into the seat next to Lucy. "Any luck on the next clue?"

They both turn their heads to Levy who's reading over the clue herself. "Lu-chan, I honestly can't say if these clues give you an idea of what the charm means and where to next one will pop up."

"Well, actually, it sounds like the charms have a secret meaning." All three look up at the voice to see Mira walking out with three trays of food balanced on her arms. She sets two in front of Natsu and the third in front of Lucy before grabbing the note from Levy.

"Yeah, it would seem like all these clues have a secret meaning to them, see like this one." She pulls out the one hinting to the fire charm. "It says, ' _A flame that symbolizes more than just simple heat,'_ meaning there's more to it then just that. And now you have the wings. Wings represent freedom, and as the clue states the freedom to choose who you love. Meaning they're giving you the chance to pick. As for this last line it may seem confusing but really it's not. I believe it's describing that the next charm will represent _someone_."

All three stare at her in surprise as she sets the note down and shrugs. Natsu's the first one to get over his shock and down a pancake before saying, "Okay, so who do you think it's hinting to?"

"Easy really, it's hinting to the Team Natsu members."

Lucy sets her hot chocolate down before looking at the take over mage. "What makes you think that the charms stand for them?"

Mira picks up the bracelet and points to the flarm charm. "Natsu's flames," then she points to the wings. "And Happy."

"Eh, Mira, don't you think you're kind of stretching it a bit there?" This coming from Levy.

She shakes her head and hands the bracelet back to Lucy. "It's not as far fetched as you would think, but we'll see what happens during the next nine days."

Someone clears their throat from behind the group and they turn to see Freed standing there shyly. Lucy raises an eyebrow and Freed mumbles something unintelligible.

"Freed, you have to speak up I can't hear you." The script mage looks up and says clearly, "I'm your Secret Santa."

Lucy scowls with incredulity as Levy grabs the bracelet, making sure to hide the wing charm. "Alright then, what was the gift I got today?"

Freed avoids looking at her, instead deciding that the floor is more interesting before saying in a questioning tone, "A ring?"

She shakes her head in disappointment. "No, Freed, I didn't get a ring." He flinches and walks back to the table where Evergreen and Bickslow are shaking their heads.

Turning back around to eat she finds her plate clean and glares at her partner. "Seriously, Natsu, don't you have enough to eat already?"

Natsu points to Happy who's sitting aways down the counter. "Happy did it?" His tone unconvincing though. Happy perks up at the sound of his name. "I didn't do anything. Natsu's blaming me." He cries.

Lucy gets up and walks over to the cat. "Don't worry, Happy, I know it wasn't you. Why don't I get a salmon from Mira for you?"

Happy jumps up and into her arms. "Thank you, Lushi, you're the best!" She smiles and walks back to her stool before ordering the fish for Happy.

The group spends the rest of the day trying to riddle out the clues while Natsu returns to his brawls and Lucy fends off several more guys who claim they're her Secret Santa.

* * *

 **So there's not much to say as I'm up to write another chapter. Before you ask we're a few chapters ahead of what you're reading. Why else would you have the sneak peeks? Speaking of sneak peeks. Here's your reward for reaching our goal.**

 _"Oh!" Mira squeals from the other side of the bar, her white pony bouncing atop her head. "I didn't know you two were an item!" She is practically gushing, hearts reflecting in her eyes as she gazes between Natsu and Lucy, the latter of which does not notice any of the woman's apparent excitement._

 _"Well, they practically live together," Happy snickers as he flies up to them, landing on the bar between Natsu and Lucy. He cocks his small head to the side and furrows his brows at Lucy when she does not make a retort. "What's up with Lushi?" He squints his eyes, as though that will help him to figure it out._

 _"She must be daydreaming!" Mira sighs dreamily, ever the romantic._

 _"Dreaming about me, my sweet?"_

 **Thanks to all your support you may be seeing more co-ops from us as well as more well written chapters from me seeing as Stele is awesome as an editor. so with that.**

 **We are so happy to see how much support this story is getting already, every day and not jus tthe update days my email is blowing up from people faving, and following this story. Plus I just found out from Stele that y'all are blowing her box up as well, so keep up the amazing job.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. Lumpy stockings. XD**


	4. On the Fourth Day

**Stele: Grizzzzzzzzzzz! We're on chapter four already! What do you think about that?**

 **Grizzly: I think we have some amazing readers that seem to think a grizzly bear and a star are awesome writers. Wbu?**

 **Stele: *Laughs* Well, I suppose that does sound like an interesting pair, but somehow we make it work. So, everyone seems to really like us as co-writers. Tell us, is there any chance of more co-ops in our future?**

 **Grizzly: I would have to say so, Stele, I mean it's just crazy the amount of support we're getting.**

 **Stele: I definitely agree with you there, Grizz! This story has really picked up an amazing group of readers that give us a ton of amazing support. It's very encouraging. So, I have another question for you, Grizz, perhaps the most important one of all. **

**Grizzly: What's your question, Stele? **

**Stele: WHY THE HELL ISN'T NALU CANON?!**

 **Grizzly: *Growls* I don't know why, but Mashima better make them canon before the story ends or else there is gonna be a mad uprising. But Stele I believe we are missing a vital point here.**

 **Stele: And what's that, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly: How many reviews have we had for chapter three? **

**Stele: Well, excluding my own, we currently only have four. **

**Grizzly: Have the readers deserved a sneak peek?**

 **Stele: Considering the amazing following we currently have, I'd say yes! Plus, they really seem to enjoy the little sneaks we put in.**

 **Grizzly: Aye, that they do. Alright then, y'all readers know where to find the next sneak. Wait why the hell are you zooming through to read the sneak before you read this chapter?**

 **Stele: No cheating, you guys! You have to wait until the very end! Hold tight, it'll be there. And it won't disappoint! Now, Grizz, anything else we need to add?**

 **Grizzly: Hmm, not that I can think of besides Fave, Follow, and leave five or more reviews for a sneak peek of the next chapter. Besides that you'll hear the rest of my spiel at the end.**

* * *

Chapter Four

On the Fourth Day

Around eleven the next day, Lucy is sitting at the bar in the guild hall, nursing a strawberry shake—despite the early hour and the frigid temperature outside. She is slumped in her stool, expression somewhere between frustrated and confused, or perhaps a little of both. When Natsu slides into the seat next to hers, she doesn't even react. Her mind is spinning with thoughts of this Secret Santa and she doesn't have time to play right now.

"So… Long night last night." Natsu says conversationally.

"Yeah," she agrees to whatever Natsu just said, but she isn't really paying attention to the words. She is busy frowning into her half-finished strawberry shake, swirling the contents around with her red straw, and watching little bubbles pop up now and then. She is still puzzling over yesterday's note, as she has yet to figure it out enough to find today's corresponding note.

 _On the third day of Christmas I give you wings._

 _Wings are a symbol of freedom,_

 _The freedom of will,_

 _or the freedom to love who you wish._

What does that even mean? She wonders. _The freedom to love who you wish…_ Does she have to make a choice between two guys? Or more? Maybe many guys are vying for her affection! _She is rather pretty_ …

"Yeah, all that cuddling really tired me out." Natsu continues with an amused smirk at her distracted attitude.

"Yeah, me too." She mumbles absently in reply.

 _On the fourth day of Christmas,_

 _Look for that which is cold as ice but warm of heart._

Lucy thought this gift would be the easiest one to find—after all, it was winter and everything was cold as ice—but thus far she has had no success. It was the last part that really got her thinking. _Warm of heart…_ That doesn't necessarily relate to a THING, does it? She recalls the line about choosing who to love and frowns deeply in thought.

 _What a frustrating conundrum,_ she thinks bitterly.

"Oh!" Mira squeals from the other side of the bar, her white pony bouncing atop her head. "I didn't know you two were an item!" She is practically gushing, hearts reflecting in her eyes as she gazes between Natsu and Lucy, the latter of which does not notice any of the woman's apparent excitement.

"Well, they practically live together," Happy snickers as he flies up to them, landing on the bar between Natsu and Lucy. He cocks his small head to the side and furrows his brows at Lucy when she does not make a retort. "What's up with Lushi?" He squints his eyes, as though that will help him to figure it out.

"She must be daydreaming!" Mira sighs dreamily, ever the romantic.

"Dreaming about me, my sweet?"

Lucy swivels in her chair towards the new speaker, finally having come out of her state of deep thought.

"Loke?" She asks in surprise. "What are you doing here? I didn't call on you!"

"I come of my own free will, remember?" He gives her an exaggerated wink before draping an arm across her shoulders and pulling her in close to murmur in her ear. "I heard you were looking for your Secret Santa." She stiffens at the words. For a moment, hope starts to blossom up within her.

"You know who it is?" She asks the lion spirit eagerly. He nods sagely.

"Of course I know!" He says. "It is none other than the King of the Zodiac himself."

" _You?!_ " Lucy, Natsu, and Mira all exclaim in simultaneous disbelief.

"What was today's gift?" Mira is the first to recover from her shock. "If you're Lucy's Secret Santa, then you must know what gift she received today!"

Lucy shoots Mira a grateful smile as the lion spirit furrows his brow in concentration.

"Why, it was a lion, of course!" He straightens, puffing his chest out and grinning triumphantly. Natsu gives a scoff and a loud cackle that has everyone currently seated at the bar turning to look at him in surprise.

"Wrong, Loke!" He pulls something out of his pocket and tosses it over to Lucy. She catches it in two hands, brown eyes going wide at the familiar cherry red box. There is no wrapping, but that is surely because of a certain nosy Dragon Slayer that sits beside her. She shoots him a death glare but he isn't looking at her, he's still smiling smugly at Loke.

"That doesn't prove that I am incorrect." Loke crosses his arms over his chest, standing up to his full height in order to look taller. Not that it matters, seeing as Natsu is currently seated and looks to have no intentions of trying to one-up his old friend.

Natsu waves a hand toward the box that still sits in Lucy's palms. "Go ahead, Luce. Open the box."

"Natsu, if you peeked—" Lucy begins. Natsu makes an impatient gesture for her to hurry up. With a roll of her eye, Lucy opens the box and rifles through the cotton inside until her fingers close over a small, cool object. She pulls it out and holds it up in front of her for them all to see.

"A _snowflake_?" Loke looks completely surprised by this turn out, like he had legitimately expected for her to pull out a lion charm instead. This charm is exquisitely detailed, just as any snowflake would be, but while the previous two charms had been gold this one is silver, though it gleams just as brilliantly as the others.

"Well, I can't say that I'm not disappointed," Loke sighs dramatically and stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Still, if you find out who this 'Secret Santa' is, and you're as thoroughly disappointed as I feel you may be, then please, feel free to call on me instead." He bows grandly before disappearing in a flash.

"Hey, Lu-chan!" Levy appears in the place Loke just left, a comically large book tucked under one arm as she smiles at her friend. Lucy returns the smile and gives the script mage a wave. "Did you get a new gift?" She sits on Lucy's other side, the one Natsu isn't currently slumped at and already looking half asleep, or maybe just bored.

Lucy shakes her head at the Dragon Slayer before turning her full attention on Levy, offering her the snowflake charm to inspect. Levy drops her book on the bar in front of her, which makes Cana's beer jump from where she sits six stools away. The brunette curses at Levy when some of the froth spills over the top of her mug and onto the counter. Mira rushes to clean up the mess, leaving their little group.

"Why a snowflake?" Levy asks as she fingers the new charm. Lucy gives a shrug.

"Yesterday's note said something about being cold as ice," she replies thoughtfully, again frowning.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you something!" Natsu suddenly interjects. Lucy spins around to raise an eyebrow at him, and Levy leans over so she can see as well.

"Yeah, go on." Lucy is impatient. She doesn't have time to deal with Natsu right now. He was probably just going to say something stupid anyway, like that he forgot to tell her he was starving, seeing as she hadn't let him raid her fridge that morning.

"Someone asked me to give you that," Natsu replies with a vague gesture at the charm in Levy's hand.

"Really?" Lucy perks up, sitting up straighter and abandoning her milkshake. "Who? Do you think it was my Secret Santa? You have to tell me who it was!" She doesn't realize she's gripping the collar of his t-shirt in a tight fist until he raises an eyebrow at her pointedly. She removes her hand and sits back. "Well?"

"I don't think it was your Secret Santa, Luce," Natsu says while smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt.

"Eugh, Natsu, I swear I'm going to Lucy-Kick you if you don't hurry up and start talking!" She warns. Levy giggles behind her.

"Don't be so dramatic," he rolls his eyes. "I only meant that I didn't think it was that person because it was that idiot, Gray, who gave it to me."

"What?!" She exclaims. "But Gray said—"

"Exactly!" He snatches the half-empty glass of strawberry shake from in front of her and downs the rest before continuing. "That's my point."

"Whoever your Secret Santa is must have gone through Gray to get to you!" Mira suddenly appears, realization written all over her face, as if she's just solved the whole puzzle.

"That doesn't get us any closer to figuring out who it is," Lucy points out glumly. She is so distracted by her thoughts and everything else going on that she doesn't even notice that Natsu stole her beverage. He slurps the remaining shake loudly, but she doesn't react.

"You could have saved some for me!" Happy grumbles.

"Get your own!" Natsu shoots back. Happy sticks his tongue out before flying away to go talk to Carla and Wendy.

"You still don't have any ideas of who it could be?" Levy asks, handing the charm back to Lucy. Lucy shakes her head in reply. "What did the note say?" Lucy frowns. "The note for the snowflake!" Understanding lights up in her eyes and she grabs the box from the counter. She digs through the cotton, pulling out the slip of paper hidden within.

 _On the fourth day of Christmas,_

 _I give you a snowflake. There is no other like it in the world._

 _This snowflake may have an icy exterior but is warm on the inside._

 _On the fifth day of Christmas,_

 _A silver weapon waits for you where the phantoms were vanquished._

 _Your Secret Santa_.

Lucy drops the note onto the table before banging her head down beside it. She grumbles something unintelligible under her breath and Natsu cackles from beside her.

"It makes perfect sense to me!" He says, having no difficulty interpreting her quiet mumblings.

"When I find this Secret Santa person, they better have a good explanation for toying with me like this." Lucy grumbles once more.

"Aw, cheer up, Lu-chan!" Levy pats her back reassuringly. "He probably just wants to have a little fun with you is all."

"Yeah, I guess." She agrees reluctantly. "Wait a minute," Lucy suddenly turns on Natsu with a fierce glare already in place. "Did you just say we were _cuddling?!_ "

"Um… No?" He grins sheepishly at her.

"You two are the cutest things!" Mira squeals.

"I'm going to kill you, Natsu!" She goes to leap at him, to give him one solid Lucy-Kick for even implying such a thing, but someone stops her before she can even step off her stool.

"Enough of this annoying chatter," someone says, dropping a strong hand on Lucy's shoulder. She gapes up at the speaker in shock for a moment.

"Laxus?"

"What do you want?!" Natsu bursts out. Despite his obvious attempts to look casual—hands stuffed in the pockets of his baggy jeans, slightly slumped form, scowl carefully knitted into place—his expression suggests that he is uncomfortable, maybe even nervous.

Not that Lucy notices any of this.

"I heard you talking over here," he mutters in an unconcerned tone. To this, Lucy raises an eyebrow and folds her arms across her chest.

"So what?" Natsu copies Lucy's actions, then adds an obnoxious look in Laxus' direction. The Lightning Dragon Slayer scowls but ignores him otherwise.

"So," Laxus continues, pointedly ignoring everyone's gaze. "I thought you'd want to know that I'm your Secret Santa…" His voice gradually loses volume until he trails off at barely a whisper. Natsu scoffs loudly. Mira looks indifferent, oddly enough for the normally gushing mage. Levy and Lucy both share a look of total shock.

"Um… Really?" Lucy asks carefully. She honestly has no doubts that Laxus is most definitely _not_ her Secret Santa, but she has also seen what he had done in the past, and is a little apprehensive about making him angry.

"Well, yeah." His tone is noncommittal, his eyes still focused elsewhere.

"Prove it." Mira crosses her arms over her chest and stares down the tall blonde. He flinches at the fierce look in her eyes and reaches back to scratch his head.

"Um, how?"

"What gift did Lucy receive today?" Levy adds, sounding just as suspicious as Lucy feels.

"Well…" Laxus thinks for a moment.

"If you were really her Secret Santa, you wouldn't be straining your brain so hard thinking up some bullshit response." Natsu eyes hold something fierce as they lock onto Laxus's. "And since when do you have feelings for Lucy?"

Lucy flushes bright red at the question, as if the very thought of Laxus potentially having any sort of feelings towards her, other than maybe disdain or hatred, has never even occurred to her.

"Whatever." Laxus spins on his heel and trudges off toward where Bickslow, Evergreen, and a very somber-looking Freed sit together at a table.

"Well, that was weird." Lucy comments after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, you sure do know how to attract weird, Luce!" Natsu laughs and she scowls at the counter. "Where's the bracelet?" He asks. She pulls down her left sleeve to reveal the sparkling gold chain with the two previous days' charms attached. It gleams in the light from overhead, making the charms there twinkle like little stars.

"Aw, it's so pretty!" Levy takes the newest charm, the silver snowflake, and clips it to the bracelet alongside the others. Lucy shakes her wrist, making the charms there jingle like little bells on Christmas. _How very fitting._

"Do you… like it?" Natsu asks casually, pulling the scarf that sits around his shoulders as if to adjust it.

"It is pretty," Lucy says, in both agreement with Levy's statement as well as in answer to Natsu's question.

"You're still wearing it." He points out, as if she doesn't notice this fact. She plays with the few charms there absentmindedly, still puzzling over the clues in her head.

"Yeah, well, if someone went to all this trouble to get all these for me then the least I can do is wear it and appreciate it. Especially since I still have no idea who keeps sending me all of these." Lucy jangles the bracelet again for emphasis. Natsu grins crookedly at her.

"Oh, I think you'll figure it out, Luce!"

* * *

 **Y'all know I can't say this enough. Y'all are amazing. I bet you don't believe it do you? That's how I am. When someone compliments me it's hard for me to believe it. Because I mean I'm just one person who sits at a computer majority of the day then goes home and spends the rest of the night on her tablet, music blaring all the while.**

 **But do you know why I like the compliments? This is probably just me here but the compliments remind me that I'm not invisible. That people know I'm there. See with my personality I tend to sway from wanting to be ignored to wanting attention.**

 **Most of the time it's the former but when I'm with friends or I'm able to actually be myself then I tend to be all over the place with trying to get people to notice me. But that's just me.**

 **There's a saying I live by. 'Being weird to others means you're just being you.' It means that normal is just a fleeting thought, there is no such thing as normal. So continue to be weird because it's your addition to the world around you.**

 **Anyways I'm blabbering and y'all are probably like shut the hell up and give us the sneak already. I'm going, I'm going.**

 _Natsu rounds the corner of the block, not taking notice of the two males walking by. However, Lucy does take notice because as she rounds the corner she runs right into them._

 _All three fall backwards, landing on their asses. Lucy looks over and finally recognizes the blonde male with blue eyes, a scar above his right eye, and the black-haired male with blood-red eyes._

 _"I am so sorry, Sting, Rogue, I didn't see you there." She apologizes frantically as they pick themselves up._

 _They shake their heads and Sting gives her a mysterious smile while Rogue helps her up. "It's not a problem, Lucy, but if I may ask, why was Natsu running?"_

 **Want to know why Natsu was running? You'll see in a couple of days.**

 **Yea, I know I'm evil but Stele ain't here to stop me so :P**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. The Boogeyman is gonna get you.**


	5. On the Fifth Day

**Grizzly: Good morning, Stele.**

 **Stele: Good morning, Grizz!**

 **Grizzly: Stele, can you believe that we're already on chapter five?**

 **Stele: No! This story is flying by, soon it will be all wrapped up. Won't that be sad?! Also…. What do you think of all the reviews we have received for chapter 4?**

 **Grizzly: What?! This story being wrapped up? NOOO! This story is just beginning. I look forward to seeing what y'alls reactions are to the surprises we have in store. As for reviews. EIGHT reviews for this chapter ALONE. Can you believe that?**

 **Stele: I KNOW! It's so exciting! Our readers are so encouraging and supportive. All of these reviews truly make my day.**

 **Grizzly: Aye, that they do. Now in the last chapter we left off with what exactly?**

 **Stele: I believe we left off with a not-so-subtle hint at our Secret Santa. Do you think our readers have figured it out yet?**

 **Grizzly: Even if they have, I, for one, will not reveal who the Secret Santa is until Chapter Twelve. What do you think, Stele?**

 **Stele: I think are some of you darling readers who keep saying how dense Lucy is being for not seeing the obvious (which is just hilarious), and some of you can't decide if you know who it is or not, which makes it all the more fun for us. Because, Grizz and I have horns behind our halos, right, Grizz? *wink***

 **Grizzly: Aye, sir. Stele I have one more question for you before we leave the readers to the chapter.**

 **Stele: What's that, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly: Well, you are my editor for my other stories now. Correct?**

 **Stele: Indeed!**

 **Grizzly: So, then would you like the honors of telling our readers of the new story I posted yesterday or shall I?**

 **Stele: Ooh, this story you're all going to really enjoy. I have loved going along for the ride with this one. It's exciting, unique, and I love how Grizz really empowers the women in this story, which is something you don't see in a lot of fics. I think you'll have to read it to find out exactly what I'm talking about, but trust me when I say it will be worth your time. It is one of my favorite stories that my dear friend, Grizz, has written.**

 **Grizzly: The name of such an awesome fic as you've made it out to seem is… wait for it… 'The Magnolia Crews.' So go give it a read after you've finished this chapter. Until next time though, make sure you fave, follow, and review for those sneaks. Remember five or more earns you the treats.**

* * *

Chapter Five

On the Fifth Day

"Natsu Dragneel, get back here!"

People watch as the dragon slayer runs down the street. Why is he running? Quite simple really: he burned Lucy's sofa.

So now, even as he zooms down the path, Lucy chases after him, murderous intentions evident in her bright brown orbs.

Anyway, back to the chase.

Natsu rounds the corner of the block, not taking notice of the two males walking by. However, Lucy does take notice because as she rounds the corner she runs right into them.

All three fall backwards, landing on their asses. Lucy looks over and finally recognizes the blonde male with blue eyes, a scar above his right eye, and the black-haired male with blood-red eyes.

"I am so sorry, Sting, Rogue, I didn't see you there." She apologizes frantically as they pick themselves up.

They shake their heads and Sting gives her a mysterious smile while Rogue helps her up. "It's not a problem, Lucy, but if I may ask, why was Natsu running?"

Lucy scowls as she looks past the Shadow Slayer towards where the pink-haired idiot disappeared. "The baka burned my sofa again. This is the third time in as many months."

Sting chokes on a laugh and Rogue attempts to hide a smile as Lucy turns to them. "So, what are you two doing in Magnolia so close to Christmas?"

The Light Slayer throws a thumb over his shoulder. "We're here for the next two weeks helping Natsu with something."

Curiosity flashes across her face but she goes against it as she notices something. "Where are Frosch and Lector?"

Sting starts looking around as Rogue says, "Frosch decided to stay with Kagura, while Lector is around here somewhere."

When they hear a small, "I'm down here," they run to the edge of the canal to see Lector trying to stay afloat as ice forms on his fur.

"Hey, buddy, how did you end up down there?" Lector scowls at Sting as he bends down to pull the Exceed out of the water. "I got knocked into the water when Lucy ran into you two." Then he turns to the celestial mage.

"Hello, Lucy,"

She smiles but it quickly turns to a frown when the Exceed starts shivering. "Come on, let's head to the guild hall, I'm sure Mira has some blankets to warm you up."

Lector looks up at Sting who gives a half-smile before nodding. "Sure, lead the way."

 **XxX**

After Mira and Lucy wrap Lector up in tons of blankets with a cup of warm milk, the twin slayers fill Mira in on what happened when they ran into Lucy.

"So, what exactly are you two helping Natsu with?"

The twin slayers share a look, not knowing how to answer, but are saved when a male with long black hair, red eyes, and piercings for eyebrows sits next to them while Levy sits next to Lucy.

"Hey, Bunny girl, Shrimp figured out the next clue." All attention turns from the slayers to the script mage so no one notices the duel sigh of relief.

Levy pulls out a paper that has a copy of the note from the day before and reads it outloud.

 _On the fourth day of Christmas,_

 _I give you a snowflake. There is no other like it in the world._

 _This snowflake may have an icy exterior but is warm on the inside._

 _On the fifth day of Christmas,_

 _A silver weapon waits for you where the phantoms were vanquished._

 _Your Secret Santa_.

"So, where is the next gift?" Lucy asks, frustration clearly written in her frown. Gajeel gets up and grabs the note from Levy, pointing to the second to last line.

"Bunny girl, when have you messed with phantoms? Especially with the way it's spelled?" She hooks her index finger on her chin and looks down but a gasp from behind the bar gather's her attention.

"What is it, Mira?"

Mira giggles and shakes her head.

"Lucy, think back to right after you joined Fairy Tail. Who attacked us to get at you?" Lucy goes quiet as she looks between the note and Mira until it clicks.

She looks up at Gajeel and says quietly, "Where the phantoms were vanquished, Gajeel you were part of Phantom Lord…"

"Exactly, Lu-chan, so that means that the next gift is behind the guild hall."

Lucy jumps up so fast she knocks her stool over and races out the back door.

A few minutes later she runs back inside, a box grasped tightly in her hands. "I found it, it was right where Erza took the Jupiter blast."

She rights her stool and settles back in it before picking up the package again.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it."

Lucy jumps at the voice and drops the gift on the counter turning around to see Natsu standing there, grinning.

"Natsu, where did you come from?"

He grins sheepishly and takes the stool next to Lucy, previously vacated by the Light Slayer for one on the other side of Rogue.

"After I ran almost to my house, making sure I lost you, I turned back to come here." He explains. She scowls and smacks him upside the head.

"Baka, you owe me a new sofa!"

He yelps and rubs the side of his head as he pouts.

"Lu-chan, open the gift, what is it today?"

She turns back to the gift, taking note of the same purple wrapping paper, the silver bow, this time on the right side, and proceeds to open it.

Pulling back the cotton, she lifts up a miniature silver sword, the hook connected to the hilt.

"Ooh, it's so pretty." Mira leans over the counter and Lucy lays the charm in her outstretched hand.

"What do you think it means?" Lucy asks curiously.

Mira looks from the charm to Lucy. "Why don't you read the note?" Lucy frowns but pulls the cotton out, catching the note as it falls from the material.

Opening it up, Natsu leans over her shoulder to read it quietly enough for only those around Lucy and the slayers closest to them to hear.

 _On the fifth day of Christmas I give you a sword._

 _Swords are wielded for protection of self and others,_

 _Though it is most commonly found in the hands of a knight._

 _On the sixth day of Christmas,_

 _Look for that which contains anything from information to a universe for those who seek it._

 _Your Secret Santa._

Lucy's eye twitches and the note falls to the counter. A dark aura rises from the celestial mage and those around her lean back, afraid of what she'll do.

"Luce, are you okay?"

Lucy takes a deep breath and gives Natsu a sickly sweet smile. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? Well, besides the fact that when I find this Secret Santa I plan on thrashing them to within an inch of their life." She mutters the last part so lowly that not even Natsu can make it out.

Standing, she places the bracelet, the charm, and the note in the box and closes it. "Mira, can you watch this? I'll be back for it in a few hours." Mira frowns but takes the box and sets it on a shelf under the counter.

Saying farewell to the others, she trudges out the guild doors. When the doors shut behind her the slayers, Levy, and Mira huddle over the counter. The conversation unknown to any but those in on it.

 **XxX**

As Lucy walks down the street, she doesn't notice where her feet are taking her until she looks up to find herself in front of a cafe that had opened just a month back.

Following the grumbling of her stomach, she walks in. Inside, the cafe isn't much, the walls are painted in cool blues while the floor is tiled with a midnight purple that goes well with the walls. The curtains on the windows a blue that's a shade or two lighter then the walls, and the counter itself has a lattice work frame that adds a nice touch. Over all, the cafe has a laid-back charm that any person could enjoy.

Lucy walks up to the counter and rings the bell and not a minute later a woman that looks about six foot tall, with black hair and brown eyes appears from a door that leads to the kitchen.

She wears black yoga pants, and a black hoodie that's covered in flour. "Hello, welcome to Half-Baked, how can I help you?"

Lucy stares at the figure in confusion before giggling. "I'm sorry, did you just say this place is called Half-Baked?" After Lucy stops laughing the woman smiles.

"Yeah, it was my cousin's idea, a play on a joke between us. So, what can I get ya?"

Lucy frowns as she looks up at the menu and then back at the woman.

"What would you suggest?" The woman hums before snapping her fingers. "You look like you could go for some sweets. I have just the thing, a butterfinger brownie and a cup of hot chocolate loaded with marshmallows."

Lucy looks thoughtful for a second before nodding, and the woman turns to make the order. As she goes to the counter where the sweets are she throws over her shoulder, "By the way, I'm Emmy. I own the shop."

"I'm Lucy, I'm a mage from Fairy Tail."

Emmy sets the cup of hot chocolate on the counter and raises an eyebrow. "Wow, I didn't think I'd actually see a Fairy Tail mage walk in here, since you have your own bar and everything."

Lucy pouts. "Well, you are in Magnolia so it was bound to happen sometime." She goes to pay but Emmy holds up a hand.

"It's on the house."

Lucy shrugs and goes to sit at a table and eat in silence, at least until Emmy sits down across from her. The mage looks up from her drink and raises an eyebrow at the cafe owner.

"I thought Fairy Tail mages were supposed to be loud and destructive?"

Lucy laughs softly and shakes her head. "You're thinking of my teammates, they're the ones who do all the destroying. I would be hanging out with them but I have a lot on my mind."

Emmy nods and looks out the window. Silence stretches between them until Lucy breaks it. "What do you know of the twelve days of christmas?"

The owner looks at the mage in surprise before smiling. "The twelve days of gifts?" Lucy nods and Emmy holds up her left hand. "My Fiance actually used the twelve gifts to ask me out, He couldn't get up the courage to ask me himself, so he left gifts instead."

She twirls the ring around her finger before adding, "It took me the whole twelve days and even then I didn't fully realize it until Christmas Day."

Lucy frowns. "Did you have clues with yours?" Emmy shakes her head.

"No, but the gifts were clue enough once I had them all. I have a feeling you're over thinking things."

The mage looks at Emmy in shock and the latter nods. "It happened to me, about the sixth or seventh gift I was so confused that my brain felt like it was gonna explode. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and look at things with a clear mind. Instead of letting all the clues get to you, pull back and look at only the one for that day. When I did that, I noticed a pattern. All the gifts were part of a memory he and I shared."

Lucy is quiet after Emmy finishes her story. Then understanding crosses her eyes and her shoulders lift up almost as if a great weight has been lifted. "Thank you, Emmy, for the advice. I have to go."

Emmy nods and Lucy takes off out the door, leaving the shop owner grinning. Lucy runs down the street, her thoughts solely on today's clue as she tries to figure out what it could mean.

When she nears Fairy Tail she slows down to a walk. Pushing the door open, she walks over to the counter where only Mira stands, shining a glass.

"Hey, Lucy, are you okay now?"

Lucy looks at the take over mage and smiles. "Yeah, I just needed time to think. Can I get the box back?"

Mira quickly reaches under the counter and hands the box to Lucy, who sits in her stool and pulls out the note.

"On the sixth day of Christmas, look for that which contains anything from information, to a universe for those who seek it." she quietly reads aloud as she turns the lines over in her head.

"Cana, you spilled sake on my book!"

Lucy looks over at where Levy is arguing with a drunk Cana and Levy's words make her pause. A second later her eyes go wide and she turns to Mira. "Mira, I know where the next gift is gonna show up."

Mira raises an eyebrow and Lucy elaborates. "Look for that which contains anything from information, to a universe. Mira, books can contain information if they're nonfiction, and a universe if they're fiction."

The take-over mage sets the glass down and picks up the paper, reading over the lines for herself. "It seems that could be highly likely, but where would you begin to look? There's our library, then Levy's private hoard, then the Magnolia library."

Lucy pauses for a second but when she smiles it's reassuring. "If Secret Santa knows me so well, then he'll pick the one I spend the most time at, which is the guild's."

"Are you gonna go look today?" Mira asks, Lucy shakes her head as she slips the sword charm on her bracelet and the bracelet on her wrist.

"No, I have a feeling that if I was to look now it wouldn't be there. I'll look tomorrow." The celestial mage looks up at the clock behind Mira and places the note back in the box. "Mira, I'm gonna head home for the night." Mira nods and Lucy leaves the guildhall, box tightly clasped in her hands.

* * *

 **Sneak Peek.**

 _She chants these words in her head, willing them to be true. It helps, and after a while she feels a sudden warmth envelope her as if she really is soaking in hot lava. Her body gives an involuntary shiver as the ice starts to thaw from her skin, making it tingle slightly. The warmth wraps around her as if in an embrace, and she sinks into it, letting it hold her and pull her closer towards true sleep._

 _But, before that can happen, realization dawns on her. This heat is too familiar to her body, so familiar, in fact, that she almost didn't even differentiate it from her own natural body heat._

 **I'm evil, I know and I love it.**

 **I don't have much to say this time around but I am trully grateful for all y'all have done for Stele and I. But remember this ain't the only story we have so if you haven't checked out our others. Take a bit of time and go check them out.**

 **There's this one story I have on mine called Circus Tricks. AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE. I plan on gutting that one and doing a rewrite. My absolute worst fic I've ever written. Why is it still up? Don't worry it'll be pulled down when I'm ready to put up the replacement.**

 **As for Stele, she is awesome sauce. Her stories never cease to amaze. Now I have to go, we have stories to write.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. Why did the sardine bite the shark? Tell you next chapter.**


	6. On the Sixth Day

**Stele: Hello, Grizz!**

 **Grizzly: Hey, Stele. *Pouts***

 **Stele: Aw, what's wrong, my friend?!**

 **Grizzly: Why is there such a thing as being canon if NaLu ain't it?**

 **Stele: *Sniffles* I ask myself that question every day! It doesn't make any sense! Obs Nalu is a thing, so why is Mashima torturing us?!**

 **Grizzly: Well, from what I've seen, he likes to make us suffer until he plans to send relief. *Stands up straight* But never fear, plans are underway to take Fairy Tail from Mashima and make NaLu canon!**

 **Stele: Oooh? And whom is the mastermind behind this agenda, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly: Well, you see, Stele, recently my halo broke and now my horns are showing for all to see, so we start our plans with a bit of forced entry and then we continue on to stealing the title from under his nose.**

 **Stele: Let's make it a romance! *Swoons* We need some romantic action to make up for all the damned sexual tension on the show. Don't you think we deserve that?!**

 **Grizzly: Aye, Sir!**

 **Stele: Now, Grizz, I have a question for you: where did we leave our darling readers in chapter five, and what can they expect to find in chapter six? **

**Grizzly: Now, there is a bit of an answer to that question, so hold your tights while I try to answer. *Clears throat and puts on Aviators* In Chapter five we left off with Lucy having a bit of conversation with the owner of a cafe called Half-Baked. The owner, Emmy, gave Lucy a tip to help her figure out the clues and when Lucy went back to the guild hall she quickly deciphered the next clue. Now we're onto Chapter six and if memory serves me she's in for a bit of a duel surprise.**

 **Stele: Oh, yes, that's right! But, you'll all just have to read to find out more about this *wink* Because, as someone so aptly put it, Grizz and I are twin devils, and our horns are starting to push our haloes off our heads.**

 **Grizzly: A huge howl to all those who have reviewed and now to our regularly scheduled fave, follow, and review for treats. Stele, how many reviews earns the readers a treat?**

 **Stele: Five or more reviews earns you guys a special treat at the end, and we know you guys loooove the sneaks we provide! So keep it up, and you'll see more at the end. **

**Grizzly: With that and my usual 'Y'all will see me at the end' go read the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Six

On the Sixth Day

Lucy's night is filled with restless slumber. She tosses and turns fitfully, unable to ever truly grasp the sleep tendrils that tease her, almost pulling her under but not quite. It's her churning thoughts that force her mind to stay alert.

That, and the fact that she is so very cold that she cannot stop shivering long enough to relax. If only she had paid her rent on time, her landlady wouldn't have cut off her electricity as punishment, and she wouldn't be buried under a mountain of blankets as she desperately tries to keep warm.

She pulls the blankets over her face to burrow inside the bare warmth they provide. It helps, if only a little. At least the chilled air doesn't whip against her face like icy needles now.

As Lucy continues to shiver under her blankets, her mind scrolls through all the gifts and the notes she has received, but in her current sleep-deprived-and-nearly-frozen state, they all blur together, becoming a jumbled mess of words and images.

"Eugh," Lucy groans, squeezing her eyes shut and willing her mind to be silent.

 _You are warm,_ she thinks. _You are in a volcano. You are soaking in fiery lava._

She chants these words in her head, willing them to be true. It helps, and after a while she feels a sudden warmth envelope her as if she really is soaking in hot lava. Her body gives an involuntary shiver as the ice starts to thaw from her skin, making it tingle slightly. The warmth wraps around her as if in an embrace, and she sinks into it, letting it hold her and pull her closer towards true sleep.

But, before that can happen, realization dawns on her. This heat is too familiar to her body, so familiar, in fact, that she almost didn't even differentiate it from her own natural body heat.

She peeks open one eye, forcing her breath to stay even. Strong arms are wrapped around her waist, holding her against a chest that is undoubtedly bare, as it always is. She can feel his nose pressed into her hair as he breathes in and out with slow, even breaths. He's asleep, she realizes with some shock. Just how long has she been lying in Natsu's arms?

She struggles with the warring emotions inside of her. She knows he must be asleep, because her heart is hammering so loudly inside of her chest, that if he were even remotely awake he would surely hear it and accuse her of being a pervert or something. Maybe she should kick him out of her bed and accuse _him_ before he gets the chance…

 _But he's so warm…_ Her mind whines, unwilling to escape the flames that stave away the cold, winter air. _I'll kick him out in a minute,_ she promises, before settling in and letting sleep pull her under…

The next morning, Lucy is still cradled in Natsu's fiery embrace. Though, sometime during the night she must have gotten a little too warm, because the mound of blankets she had piled on top of her when she went to bed are now all pushed to the bottom of the bed.

Now, Lucy's head lay against Natsu's chest as she continues to slumber peacefully, unaware of the current position she has herself in.

When she subconsciously snuggles even closer into his chest, Natsu gives a light start, green eyes flying open. For a moment, he thinks Happy must have fallen from the top hammock, but then he remembers that he came to Lucy's house that night…

Natsu tries to assess the situation without waking the blonde spitfire. Her head lay against his chest, golden hair spread out along the arm he has tucked around her waist. She has one arm draped lightly across his chest, and one of her slender legs are intertwined with one of his.

 _What the hell?_

It is the beating of his heart that finally wakes her, the slight increase in rhythm that forces his heart to pound harder against his chest than normal. Her eyelids flutter open to reveal chocolate brown irises. She takes a moment to wake up, still in that half-awake/half-asleep state, skirting on the very edge of consciousness.

The first thing she realizes is that she is very, very warm, hot, even. Sweat beads on her forehead as her groggy mind continues to wake up. She inhales deeply and a musky scent fills her nostrils.

She stiffens. Her eyes, once half-closed and fluttering, now snap open, wide. She feels the bare chest that is pressed against the right side of her face; the heartbeat that thuds against her eardrum, loudly; the arm that is wrapped around her waist, long fingers resting on the bare skin that peeks out from the edge of her sweater.

 _What the hell?!_

She shoots up and out of his embrace, practically leaping off of the bed and pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. He blinks over at her with an expression of total shock and befuddlement. She doesn't trust the innocence this look suggests.

"Y-Y-Y-" She stammers out, anger and embarrassment making her stutter. "Y-You idiot!" She shrieks at him. He sits up and runs a hand through his hair before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He yawns widely.

"What's your deal, Luce?" He asks tiredly. _Is that disappointment she detects?_

"GET OUT!"

She literally chases him out of her house and then slams and locks the door before falling to her knees in front of it. She wraps her arms around herself, trying to quell the emotions battling it out inside of her mind. Did she really let Natsu sleep in her bed _ALL NIGHT_? And did he seriously have to be _shirtless_?!

"Lucy, you idiot!" She chastises herself. "Natsu is your best friend, your teammate, your guild mate! He is NOT-" She stops herself from saying the next word.

 _No. Don't even go there._

With a heavy sigh, Lucy pushes to her feet and slumps toward her bathroom to get ready for the day. Maybe if she could find her Secret Santa gift for the day, that would help distract her mind from the inappropriate thoughts running through it.

 _Wait. No. Not inappropriate. Not at all! Just…_

Lucy facepalms and stops her thoughts, closing the door to the bathroom and turning on the faucet in the shower.

 **XxX**

An hour later, Lucy is walking through the doors to the guild hall, all but sprinting toward the library where she presumes her newest box will be located. She pulls the gray cardigan tighter around herself as she makes her way through the bustling guild, concealing the light pink top she wears beneath it. She wears light-colored skinny jeans, and gray boots with a fur trim. Her hair is pulled up into a single ponytail, though her bangs still frame her face.

When she reaches the library, she bursts through the doors with an expression that lies somewhere between excitement and annoyance. While she is eager to find today's gift, and with it another clue that will aid her in figuring out this whole Secret Santa thing, she is still a little bent about finding a certain Dragon Slayer in her bed this morning.

Even if it had been technically her doing…

When she enters the room, her eyes immediately land on a familiar face. Her lips turn up into a smile as she calls out to the person. She sits at a nearby desk, various books of all sizes spread out before her, eyes narrowed in concentration at whatever she is looking at. She doesn't notice Lucy's approach until she is right next to her.

"Hey, Levy-chan," Lucy greets her. The blue-haired script mage glances up at her name, a distracted smile working its way onto her lips.

"Hey, Lu-chan! How's the search coming along?" She asks.

"That's what I'm doing here, actually." She explains, chocolate eyes now scanning the immediate area around them. "I don't suppose you've come across a tiny box with purple wrapping?"

Levy shakes her head and gestures at the dozen or so books she has laid out before her.

"Sorry, Lu-chan, I've been pretty distracted all morning working on decoding some script Team Shadow Gear found on our last job." Levy smiles apologetically, then adds, "I can take a break and help you look, though?"

"That's okay, Levy-chan," Lucy waves off the offer. "I'm sure I can manage on my own. Good luck!"

"Thanks, same to you!"

The two wave, then Lucy starts walking around, keeping a careful eye on every surface.

She walks through nearly the entire library before she finally sees it. It is placed so conspicuously that Lucy nearly groans at how long it took her to find it. Near the back of the library sits a pedestal made of magnificently carved red wood, with the Fairy Tail emblem engraved in the smooth surface.

Atop this pedestal, sits a special book that has been passed down to all the masters of the guild, starting with the guild's founder, Mavis Vermillion herself. The volume is impressively large, and probably weighs twenty pounds by the looks of it.

Inside, the book contains the histories of all of the Fairy Tail members that have ever joined the guild. A small box with purple star wrapping sits on the cover. Lucy picks it up and takes it back to the table where Levy still sits.

"Good job, Lu-chan!" Levy praises when the blonde sits diagonal to her. Lucy smiles appreciatively.

"Yeah, I should have known it would be there," Lucy rolls her eyes before explaining to a baffled-looking Levy. "It was sitting on the cover of the Fairy Tail book, in the back of the library."

Levy's eyes light up with understanding as she nods. She pushes aside some of her books in order to give Lucy her full attention.

"Well, let's see it, Lu-chan!" She encourages her, gesturing to the box that sits between them.

Lucy takes a breath and nods before peeling back the paper and opening the box. Rifling through the cotton once more, she comes out with a tiny golden book charm that dangles from a delicate hook.

"Ooh, a book!" Levy says with some excitement.

"Yeah, but what could it mean?" Lucy wonders, twisting it between her fingers to examine it in closer detail. "There doesn't seem to be any indication of what kind of book it is."

"I don't think that's the point, Lu-chan…" Levy giggles. "Read the note, maybe that will help."

Lucy places the charm on the table between them before pulling out the note and reading it aloud.

 _On the sixth day of Christmas, I give you a book_

 _Though, it isn't what is written inside that signifies the meaning of this gift_

 _This book represents something far more meaningful than a simple book_

 _On the seventh day of Christmas, look for that which gave us a challenge to raise our class_

 _This challenge was given where the best and the worst voices can be heard._

 _Your Secret Santa_

Levy lets out a snort of amusement as Lucy reads the last line of the note. Lucy glances over at her and raises an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Levy giggles. "But that one is so obvious, it's amusing."

Lucy frowns and looks over the note again.

"Well, I don't think it's as obvious as you seem to believe," she mutters, rather bitterly so.

"Come on, Lu-chan, look at the clue for the next gift and tell me that's not so easy."

Lucy narrows her eyes in annoyance at the unintentional gibe. She reads through the lines a little more carefully this time, in hopes that whatever Levy is seeing will pop out at her as well.

 _Look for that which gave us a challenge to raise our class…_ Lucy reads to herself.

 _This challenge was given where the best and worst voices can be heard._

"So…" Lucy thinks for a second. "The guild stage?"

Levy shoots her a thumbs-up. "That'd be my guess. The best voices being Mira,"

"And the worst being Gajeel," Lucy finishes with a smirk. Levy groans.

"You aren't wrong…" She mutters.

Lucy laughs at the slight blush on her friend's cheeks before taking the book charm and attaching it to the bracelet next to the others. She still wears it on her wrist, as she likes the slight clinking sound the charms make when she twists her wrist, and she's still hoping that keeping the gifts close to her will help her to figure out what their significance is. If Emmy was correct, and the gifts represent part of her and the memories she shares with this person, then keeping them close might help her in remembering what those might be.

"Still," Lucy continues after a long moment has passed. "That doesn't help in telling me what the gift actually is."

"That's true," Levy agrees. Her green eyes narrow in thought as she tries to puzzle out the clue. "While I still think _where_ the gift will be was easy to figure out, I can't say as much about the rest of the clue. What do you think it means when it says, 'gave us a challenge to raise our class?'"

Lucy gives a shrug. "I have no clue what that part could be referring to."

"Maybe they meant to 'raise a glass,'" a new voice cuts in before Lucy can comment. Both girls look up to see Cana standing before them with a flask in one hand and a mug of frothy beer in the other. She raises the mug and waggles her eyebrows for emphasis to her claim. "Makes way more sense that way." She finishes with a smirk, then downs half the mug before plopping into a chair beside Lucy.

"I don't think that's it," Lucy says. Cana shrugs, then gestures at the bracelet on her wrist.

"So, is Secret Santa still making you run around?"

"More or less." Lucy sighs, fingering the note as she continues to turn the words over in her head. "None of these notes ever make any sense!" Lucy grumbles. Cana gestures for Lucy to hand over the note, then reads through it before letting it drop onto the table between them and leaning back in her chair.

She gives a huff before saying, "These damn riddles remind me of the S-Class trials," Cana rolls her eyes dramatically and takes a swig from her flask before chasing it down with the last of her beer.

Lucy glances up at her in surprised realization.

"Cana!" She exclaims, causing the card mage to raise an eyebrow. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Cana furrows her brows in confusion. Levy looks slightly puzzled as well, and looks between Cana and Lucy, waiting for an explanation.

"The S-Class trials were announced on the stage here in the guild hall!" Lucy is practically beaming with pride. She picks up the note and waves it in front of them. "'Look for that which gave us a challenge to raise our _CLASS_.'" She emphasises the last word with both tone and expression, and the two women both go wide-eyed as they, too, catch on.

"Wow, I didn't even catch that, Lu-chan," Levy says, sounding slightly disappointed by this fact.

"You're welcome," Cana adds with a drunken grin. Lucy rolls her eyes but pays the remark no comment.

"Well, now that we have that figured out—"

"Hey, Lucy!"

Lucy turns to see Romeo rushing towards her, expression nervous.

"Romeo," Lucy says with some surprise. "what are you doing here? Where's your dad?"

"Uh… He's busy—doing other things." The boy replies evasively. "Um, so, I had to come tell you something right away!" His words are rushed, like he's in a hurry for some reason.

"ROMEO!" Macao comes bursting into the room then, eyes ablaze with frustration and fury.

"Dad, leave me alone!" Romeo whines, balling his hands into fists. "I came to tell Lucy something!"

"Ain't you a little young for that, son?" Macao asks, folding his arms across his chest.

The three women at the table exchange confused glances.

"Aren't you a little OLD?" Romeo retorts. Macao narrows his gaze, but Romeo ignores him, turning back to Lucy with something that almost resembles a smile. "Lucy, I heard about your, uh, problem. And I had to come tell you right away!"

"Romeo," Macao warns, striding up to them. Romeo rushes to get the words out before his dad can stop him.

"I'm the Secret Santa you've been looking for!" He says, at the same time his father says, "I'm the one you've been pining for, Lucy!"

Lucy's jaw drops to the floor as Cana bursts into hysterical laughter and Levy looks like she'll either laugh or be sick.

The father and son glare at one another before speaking simultaneously.

"What?! You're not-! I am-! Why you-!"

"Shut up!" Lucy calls out over their argument. They both turn to her with huge, winning smiles. Lucy glares at them both and they flinch back. "Enough of this. If one of you is my Secret Santa, then you should know the drill by now."

"Prove your badassness!" Cana raises her flask with a snicker.

"Is that even a word?" Macao asks the brunette, who sticks her tongue out at him in return.

"Tell us what charm Lucy got today." Levy clarifies. Lucy waits impatiently for someone to come up with a good answer. They both stare at the floor, avoiding the seething look in the blonde's eyes.

"Um…" Romeo scratches his head in thought.

"Well…" Macao unknowingly mimics his son's action.

"That's what I thought." Lucy points to the library doors with a stern face. "Out."

The two slink out the doors with dual expressions of disappointment.

Lucy groans and lets her head fall onto the table. "I'm starting to wonder if there even IS a Secret Santa,"

Cana snorts. "What, do you think all those notes and gifts appeared out of thin air?" Lucy shrugs.

"Maybe?"

"Don't worry, Lu-chan," Levy pats her arms reassuringly. "We'll figure out who it is!"

"Yeah, when?" She grumbles.

Cana suddenly snaps to attention.

"Oi! I have an idea!" She reaches into the pocket of her pants and pulls out a deck of cards. Lucy and Levy lean forward as Cana shuffles the cards a few times.

"That's a great idea, Cana!" Lucy says excitedly. "Maybe your cards can tell us exactly who my Secret Santa is!"

"They're not THAT accurate, Lucy," Cana finishes shuffling the cards and lays three out in front of her, facedown. "but, they'll still give us an idea, at least."

"So, what do they say?" Lucy gestures impatiently.

Cana flips over the first card, the one on the leftmost side. It shows a red Fairy Tail symbol.

"What does that mean?" Lucy frowns at the card. Any number of Fairy Tail members have a red insignia.

"Hold on," Cana waves off Lucy's question as she flips over the card in the middle. This time, the card shows the same symbol, only this time it's pink. Lucy groans.

"Cana, give us some cards that actually make some sense!"

"Hey, I don't pick the cards," she gestures grandly around them, "the universe does."

"What does the last one say?" Levy asks, curiosity now peaked.

Cana flips the last card over to reveal a pair of white wings, much like the charm Lucy received on day three. Lucy frowns. The cards make no more sense than the clues she receives in her note each day; it's just another riddle.

"Huh," Levy narrows her eyes at the cards. "Well,"

"That was not helpful." Lucy finishes with a sigh.

"Maybe the universe is conspiring against you." Cana offers with an amused chuckle. Lucy doesn't think it's funny and sends the card mage a glare. She holds her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. Well, I don't know what else to say, Lucy…" She shrugs, and then stands up, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a yawn. "Well, thanks for this fun time. I'll be going back to drinking now."

The brunette leaves.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and hope that it becomes more apparent." Lucy says, folding up the note and stuffing it and the box into the pocket of her cardigan. "Thanks for your help, Levy. I'm going to head out now."

"Okay, see you later, Lu-chan!" Levy waves as the blonde leaves the library.

* * *

 ***Cackles* Cana is so funny and I just love her, but that's not what this is. Before we get to the sneak peek I have a few things to say.**

 **1) I will never stop saying this. Y'ALL ARE AMAZING.**

 **2) 'Twin devils' AYE, SIR. That we can be. or we can be as sweet as angels and give you the treats that leave you wanting more just like this one:**

 _The snowball rolls down the slope, their friends jumping out of the way, and hits the tree, splattering. When the snow clears Natsu is laying on top of Lucy, their faces inches apart._

 **Okay, so maybe, just maybe, we're more demonic then we seem. But, oh well, y'all still love us.**

 **Also Blue in case you haven't noticed we really love the nickname you gave us. ;)**

 **With that and a wild cackle I leave you.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. Last chapter I asked you why did the sardine bite the shark.**

 **The answer is simple really.**

 **He wanted to to be called sharkbait.**

 **It's a reference to a movie, what's the movie?**


	7. On the Seventh Day

**Commander Grizzly: Attention Private Stele!**

 **Private Stele: *Stands at attention***

 **Commander Grizzly: What is our mission on this day?**

 **Private Stele: Sir, this is the day we take over Fairy Tail from Mr. Mashima, Sir!**

 **Commander Grizzly: Excellent! *Unrolls map* Now, you will be attacking from the south to create a distraction. While I'll be sweeping in from the north with fighters.**

 **Private Stele: Sir, is the private permitted to use any forms necessary to take care of the target-in-question, Sir?**

 **Commander Grizzly: Yes, Private, any form necessary to distract while I fly in with the fighters to secure the documents.**

 **Private Stele: *Mischievous smile* Oh, I did wear my sexiest black dress today. Um, Sir. Might I use my feminine wiles to distract the target? **

**Commander Grizzly: You mean like Lucy tries and fails to do on a daily basis?**

 **Private Stele: Erm…. Sir, the private will not fail, Sir! *Salutes***

 **Commander Grizzly: Very well, then, but before you leave, mind catching our readers up on what exactly is happening story wise?**

 **Private Stele: Sir, yes, sir! Well, darling readers, I believe we left off in chapter six with Lucy getting a card reading from a certain drunken brunette. Some of you, though certainly not our heroine, found this reading to be a huge giveaway. What do you think, Commander Grizz? Did Cana's cards reveal the big secret?**

 **Commander Grizzly: I think that while, yes they give it away symbolically, they do not outright say it. But this is a continuing pattern in this story as it should be. **

**Private Stele: Perhaps Lucy is right, and all of her gifts are just magically appearing out of thin air. Or… Maybe Mr. Mashima is her Secret Santa *dramatic wink***

 **Commander Grizzly: Speaking of Mashima, it is almost time to move out, Private, we will let y'all know the outcome of the battle next chapter but for now we have received nine reviews and I will leave Stele to leave the last reminder. **

**Private Stele: Right! Follow, Fav, and Review for sneaks, remember: five or more reviews gets you a sneak at the end of the chapter, so be sure to keep those coming! **

**Commander Grizzly: Thank you Pvt. Stele you are dismissed, now get to the tanks, war starts at the end of this chapter! **

**Private Stele: Aye, sir!**

* * *

Chapter Seven

On the Seventh Day

The next morning, after having found the book charm, and the confusing card reading, Lucy steps out of her apartment to see fresh snow laying on the ground.

She hums as she walks down the steps and smiles when she sees some kids having a snowball fight in a nearby courtyard. The mage is in a particularly good mood today because she has an idea of what the day may entail.

Or, so she thought, as she stops in front of the guild doors. Just as she swings the doors open a herd of her guildmates comes stampeding out, heading towards who-knows-where.

Jumping out of the way, she dodges the stampede and starts walking towards the stage to look for today's gift. Ten minutes later she finds it stashed in the rafters.

Huffing, she crosses her arms and tries to think of a way to get it down when a voice she knows very well speaks up.

"Hey, Luce, what are you doing on the stage?"

Lucy turns around to see Natsu and Happy standing next to a table. Natsu has what looks like a wooden toboggan, while Happy has a bag of carrots.

"Oh, hey, Natsu, I was just trying to get the next gift."

Natsu follows Lucy's gaze and spots the gift sitting where she had found it.

"Me and Happy can get it for you." He offers. Lucy is quiet at his words, and indecisive at his offer, but while she thinks it over Natsu sets the toboggan down and jumps up onto the stage. Happy follows his example, before picking the fire mage up and rising to the rafter where Natsu grabs the gift and throws it down to Lucy.

She catches it and turns to look for a certain bookworm, only to find the guild completely empty. "Hey, Natsu, where did everyone go?"

Natsu lands next to Lucy and grins. "Gramps called a snow day, and Ice dick set up an ice slide to go sledding. That's where we were heading when we saw you come in here."

"Do you want to come, Lushi?" Happy asks, and Lucy looks up at where he floats after picking up the bag of carrots again.

She smiles and tucks the gift into her key pouch. "What are we waiting for?" Natsu grins and grabs her hand before picking up the toboggan and running out of the guild down the path the rest of their nakama took.

As they run Lucy looks down to where he holds her hand and frowns in thought. When Natsu stops and she runs into his back she looks up to see why he stopped.

In front of them sits the South Gate Park, where they ran the twenty four hour endurance race, but what catches her breath is the fact that it's been transformed by the snow.

On one side of the park gigantic slides of ice slide down the hills and she watches as Gray and Juvia move around before water and ice slide down the hill forming into a ramp at the end. About twenty feet away from the ramp Wendy's using her sky magic to blow snow into piles so that they have a soft place to crash.

Lucy turns her head away from the ice slides to see a few of the women building snowmen closer to the base of the tree while a few of the men wrestle and throw snowballs nearby.

Her attention is jerked back to where she's standing next to Natsu when he pulls her down the slope.

"Come on, Luce, let's go build snowmen while we wait for Juvia and Ice dick to finish the slides." She smiles and picks up her feet quickly catching up to the childish fire mage.

"Where did Happy go?" Natsu stops at the bottom of the slope and waves a hand to where Happy is handing the women carrots for their snowmen.

"The reason why Happy came back with me was because Mira asked him to pick up a bag of carrots for the snowmen's noses." Lucy nods and they walk over to where Mira, Levy, Evergreen, Bisca, Asuka and a few others stand.

"Hey, Lu-chan, are you gonna build a snowman?" Levy asks.

Lucy looks back at her friend and smiles. "Yeah, Levy-chan, do you want to help me?"

Levy squeals and the two of them move towards a pile of snow as Levy asks, "So, did you find the gift for today, Lu-chan?"

Lucy nods and pulls the gift out of her key pouch to show it to Levy before tucking it away again. "I think I'll hold off on opening it until tonight."

Levy frowns. "Aren't you curious to see what it is?"

"I am, but before I get into any more headache inducing frustration, I just want to have a snow day with my family." Levy nods at her explanation and they start rolling the snowball for the base of the snowman.

When they get finished with the midsection of the snowman they look up to see a gigantic snowball rolling by. As the snowball rolls a certain way they can make out a head of pink hair as well as a blue tail sticking out before it continues rolling.

Deciding not to say anything about it, they turn back to add the buttons to the midsection before walking over to the snow pile and starting the head.

"So, have you any idea who the Secret Santa is yet?" Levy asks as she walks away to grab a carrot from Mira.

"'Fraid not, I think that's part of why I keep getting so frustrated, because they're not giving me any absolute idea of who they may be." Lucy sighs as she adds the eyes.

As Levy presses the nose into the head, the ground starts shaking and Virgo pops up a few feet from where Lucy stands.

The mage turns around and eyes the spirit curiously. "Virgo what are you doing here?"

Virgo bows before saying in a emotionless voice. "Hime, Taurus asked me to tell you to call him out. He has something to tell you."

Lucy frowns and pulls his key off her ring before summoning the perverted cow.

"Moo, Miss Luucy, I came to tell you that I am your Secret Santa. Now will yoooouu let me play with your miraculous boooobss?"

The celestial mage squeaks but plants her hands on her hips and scowls at the spirit. "You perverted cow, what makes you think you're my Secret Santa?"

Levy steps in before anger can block Lucy's logical reasoning and states sternly. "Okay, Taurus, if you are her Secret Santa what was the gift she received yesterday?"

"Why, isn't it obvious? A plush cow for my lovely Miss Luuucy."

Lucy's eye twitches and without a second thought she waves the perverted cow's key through the air, forcing his gate closed.

"Punishment, Hime?" Virgo speaks up abruptly, and Lucy turns towards her other spirit and frowns.

"No, Virgo, I thought we already made this understood. I refuse to punish you." Virgo bows but before she can close her gate Lucy continues with a malicious grin. "However, do you think you could do me a favor and punish Natsu?"

Virgo stand straight and a gleam can be seen in her eyes as she states, "As you wish, Hime." before disappearing down another hole.

"Hey, Lu-chan, why did you send Virgo after Natsu?" Lucy turns to her friend and the malicious grin fades into a genuine smile.

"Call it payback for the last week of breaking into my apartment; leaving the window open, burning my sofa, and eating all my food." Levy nods and they return to building their snowman as a scream sounds out behind them.

Those not knowing what's going on, turn to see Virgo strapping Natsu down to a wild grizzly with magic canceling cuffs. Virgo steps back and slaps the bear's rump, causing the bear to start turning around in circles trying to get at the fire mage tied to it's back.

After about ten minutes Lucy stands next to Virgo and watches before saying, "Okay, Virgo, I think he's learned his lesson for now."

Virgo nods and steps forward, causing the bear to stop, and undoes the chains so that Natsu slides off it's back, eye's whirling with dizziness.

Virgo disappears back to the spirit realm with a flash of gold while Lucy walks up to the dizzy fire mage and plants her hands on her hips.

"ALRIGHT, BRATS, THE ICE SLIDES ARE UP!" Natsu jumps up at the bellow and everyone grabs a sled or toboggan before running up the hill to where Makarov stands dressed in a referee outfit.

Once everyone's standing at the top of the ice slides with their sleds the master begins. "Now, listen here, brats, there are a few rules to the sledding races. The first being no flying magic, or racing magic allowed."

A few groans are heard but he ignores them and continues, "Now, the second rule, you will be riding with a partner. Contact with the other competitors is allowed but you cannot physically push them off the ice slide. You do so and you and your partner are disqualified. Now, in regards to rewards. First team to make it to the end without falling off their sled wins free food and booze until the New Year."

The roar from accepting the challenge makes flocks of birds fly from the trees for miles.

People start looking for partners, and when they find them they line up at the starting line. Off to the side an argument is beginning to break out as Jet and Droy fight over who is gonna be Levy's partner, until Gajeel appears from the crowd.

"Yo, Shrimp, you're my partner, let's go." Levy heaves a sigh of relief while her team mates stare at the iron slayer, slackjawed.

When they get to the starting line, the other partners are lined up. Starting from the left the pairings go as such: Natsu and Lucy; Gray and Juvia; Sting and Rogue; Elfman and Evergreen; Bickslow, and Lisanna; Romeo and Wendy, and Gajeel and Levy round out the first race.

At the master's signal, they push their sleds down the slide, with Sting and Rogue shooting ahead but soon Gray and Juvia catch up, Gray using his ice make magic to push them.

Natsu and Lucy fall to the back of the pack until Natsu turns around so that his back is to Lucy's and he takes a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar."

The spell produces a large jet of flames that pushes them past Gajeel and Levy, Bickslow and Lisanna, and Elfman and Evergreen, who are facing each other as they argue. This causes the celestial mage and the fire mage to raise an eyebrow before whisking by Romeo and Wendy, then Gray and Juvia.

"We're almost there, Natsu, we just have to pass Sting and Rogue." Natsu hears Lucy's words but is unable to respond lest he end the spell and their boost on the competition.

Instead, Natsu boosts the power of his roar and they pass the twin slayers without a problem. As they reach the bottom of the ramp Natsu hears Lucy scream, "Natsu, cut the boost, we're going too fast!"

He does as she says but it's too late, they're already flying through the air. The toboggan falls from under them and Natsu turns around, wrapping his arms around Lucy just before they land on the other side of the park, towards where they entered.

As their senses return, Lucy sits up to see that Natsu had cushioned her fall and is looking at her in concern.

"Are you okay?" they ask simultaneously. The question itself is enough to let them know they're both safe.

Lucy stands up and pulls Natsu up with her. She looks behind him to see that they had actually punched all the way through five feet of snow to the dirt underneath before turning back to see him stretching and trying to hide a grimace.

"Natsu, are you sure you're okay?" He looks down at her confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?" She waves a hand behind him and he turns to see the bare dirt.

"You hit solid dirt." Is the only response she can come up with.

He shrugs and turns back to climb out of hole in the snow before turning around and pulling Lucy up with him.

"Natsu, Lucy, are you okay?" The partners turn to see their friends standing at the bottom of the slope they're standing on.

Lucy pulls away and starts making her way down the slope as Natsu yells, "Yeah, we're good," before mumbling to himself, "just gonna be a bit sore in the morning is all."

He sighs and goes to walk down the slope only to slip on a bit of ice and start rolling down the hill, forming another gigantic snowball as he does, that ends up running over Lucy who screams.

The snowball rolls down the slope, their friends jumping out of the way, and hits the tree, splattering. When the snow clears Natsu is laying on top of Lucy, their faces inches apart.

Natsu is the first to realize this and he jumps up hiding his face in his scarf as a dark red blush takes root over his cheeks and crawls down his neck.

"Uh, um, sorry." Is the only thing he can mutter before he runs, leaving a dazed Lucy behind.

Lucy sits up and looks at her hands, so lost in her thoughts and unable to believe what just happened, that she doesn't realize someone is talking to her until a hand waves across her face.

"Lu-chan, Earthland to Lucy, where are you?" Lucy looks up to see Levy, Mira, and Bisca watching her. Different expressions playing on each of their faces. While Mira wears a knowing smirk, that Lucy's addled mind doesn't pick up, Levy and Bisca both look a little concerned for her well-being.

"What happened, Lucy?" The white-haired mage asks with a giggle. Lucy rubs the back of her head, hoping the blush isn't evident on her cheeks.

"Um," she starts, but she's cut off by Bisca, who now shares Mira's knowing grin.

"Ooh, you picked that one up from Natsu, I see." She and Mira share a chuckle at Lucy's expense. The blonde scowls at the snow-covered earth.

"Picked up what from me?" Natsu, of course, chooses this moment to poke his nose into their conversation. Lucy's cheeks heat even more and she has to look away, toward the hill that stretches beyond, where a few of their friends are still sledding down.

"Nothing!" She exclaims, causing more giggles from the other women.

"Well, okay, then…" He shrugs. "You wanna have another go, Luce?" He gestures at the hill, that damned oblivious grin set firmly in place.

Lucy looks back at the girls and a light bulb goes off. "Better yet, why don't we have a snowball fight?" The girls and Natsu freeze before their gazes turn to malicious excitement, a face not often seen on Fairy Tail women, unless, of course, it's arguing over which guy is better... or a snowball fight.

Lucy stands up while the women split up to grab more people to join the fight. After the sled races are done and the winners announced, everyone gathers around the tree.

Knuckles are cracked, wild cackling is heard from more than one, and more often than not a murderous smirk is seen. The only thing left is for Makarov, who is sitting in the tree with the Exceeds, to make the signal.

That signal being, "Brats, what are we?!"

The reply is instant. "FAIRY TAIL!"

As the last syllable is yelled to the heavens, the mages jump forward. This is the only time all of Fairy Tail can let loose. When the snow is so deep it can cover Levy's head.

The fighting is so fierce the tremors are felt throughout the town. And when those tremors are felt the townspeople throw on their coats and practically run for the park to see their beloved guild at their full power.

People gather on the edges, careful to not slip and get sucked into the mayhem. They watch as the snowballs fly through the air, some having tails of fire, others actual balls of fire.

Ice snowballs aplenty, fly. But no one who sees one of these snowball fights can deny that each and every person, be it participating or just watching, has a grin plastered to their faces and frozen there by the cold air.

No fists are thrown, no that is against the rules of the snowball fight. Instead anything else can be which is why more often than not a person is seen soaring through the air, screaming.

Out of nowhere, two gigantic ice forts rise from the snow and the mages start climbing. At the peak of each fort two people can be seen.

On one side, Natsu and Lucy stand, laughing, as the celestial mage throws a snowball and the fire mage ignites it.

On the other, Gray and Juvia stand, knocking back the fiery snowballs before retaliating with their own ice snowballs, that upon collision soak the target.

"Oi, Stripper!" Natsu calls out over the roar of excited voices.

At the sound of his nickname, Gray halts his throw before yelling back, "What do you want, Ash for brains?!"

Even from the distance they stand at Gray can make out the smirk on his rival's face. "Have a nice fall!" At his words Gray's fort starts shaking and he looks down to see Levy, Romeo, and Macao melting it from under his feet.

As he falls he yells out, "Damn you, FIame Brain!" The only thing heard is Natsu's cackling from up top of his fort.

When the winter sun touches the horizon Makarov calls a stop to the fight and everyone heads back to the guild, well that is everyone but Lucy.

Lucy walks the other way heading home to open her new gift and puzzle it out in the cold silence of her apartment, since her landlady won't turn her electric back on until January.

Natsu sees this from where he talks with the guys about their fight and pulls away, jogging to catch up with the blond mage. He hears the guys behind him complain but it cuts short when they see who he's following.

"Hey, Luce,"

Lucy turns at the sound of her nickname with a raised eyebrow to see Natsu jogging to her. "What's up?" He doesn't answer her question until he catches up with her.

"Nothing much, just though I'd walk with you." Lucy frowns and gestures where the parade of mages is still passing by her street.

"Why aren't heading back to the guild to hang out with the others? You should go boast about your victory over Gray."

Natsu shakes his head and tucks his chin into his scarf. "That wasn't my win, that was Levy, Macao, and Romeo's. After all, they were the one's that brought down his fort, besides isn't your electric still out?" Lucy nods and Natsu grins. "Well, there you go, I can light your fireplace for you." Lucy frowns in confusion but shrugs and continues walking down her street.

When they get to her apartment Natsu jumps up, entering through the window, and by the time she closes the door behind her a fire is roaring in the fireplace and Natsu is stretched out on the couch watching the flames.

Lucy sighs and pulls her peacoat off before hanging it on the hook next to the door. Next, she kicks her boots off and grabs the comforter from her bed before sitting in front of the fire with the newest gift in hand.

She looks at it as the light from the flames flicker over it and is startled when Natsu speaks next to her ear. "Well, are you gonna open it?" She scowls at her partner as he sits down next to her before turning her attention back to the gift.

Slowly, she pulls the wrapper off, curiosity getting the better of her. Lifting the top off she pulls back the cotton to find a charm that's shaped to look like an outline of Tenrou Island.

Her breath catches in her throat because, like the other charms this one is detailed with a green looking metal for the tree while the island part of the charm is a darker color of gold.

"It's pretty," She nods at Natsu's remark before shaking her left wrist for the bracelet to fall and hooking the charm on to it.

Reaching back into the box she pulls out the cotton and grabs the note, quickly unfolding it.

 _On the seventh day of Christmas I give you the Tenrou charm,_

 _Originally we were on Tenrou for the S-class trials, but that eventually changed when Grimoire Heart attacked, then the whole thing with Zeref and Acnologia occurred._

 _I realized then that I was deeply in love with you, because you showed strength where many others were failing._

 _On the eighth day of Christmas,_

 _Look for that which cost one to save another._

 _A week of challenges that proved the strength of a guild looked down upon._

 _A twist in our future that no one could've foreseen._

 _You Secret Santa._

Lucy frowns in concentration as she scans the clue several times but a yawn interrupts her. Only then does she realize how tired she is. The heat coming from the fire, and the dragon sitting next to her, not helping her to stay awake.

Finally, she gives in and places the note in the box before standing and dragging her feet to her room, not really caring what Natsu does.

Unknown to the exhausted mage, a pair of onyx eyes follows her every step until she shuts the door to her room.

* * *

 ***Cackles* This had to be the perfect snow day if I say so myself and seeing as I had to explain to Stele the fun of a snow day I don't think she can refute. Don't tell her I said this but she's one of those wrap up in ten layers for fifty degree weather kind of people.**

 **Myself on the other hand, I'll step out in thirteen degree weather in a hoodie, sweat pants, and sneakers, and be perfectly comfortable. Hey, we may not get snow here often but when we do, it's a blizzard from Hell. Plus the wind off the water drops the temperature like twenty degrees in a few days.**

 **But *Stands Straight* There's planning to be done, people to take hostage, and windows to break to take Fairy Tail from Mashima. Private Stele has already gone for the tanks and I must scramble the fighter jets.**

 **One More thing before I go. Nine is more then five so you've earned your special treat:**

 _"Ooh, look! It's starting!" Wendy exclaims, pointing towards the stage._

 _Mira stands in the center of the spotlight, wearing a mischievous grin that says she is indeed up to something. Lucy groans again, wishing she had decided to stay home today._

 _"Hello, friends!" Mira chirps brightly into the microphone that hovers near her mouth. "Are you ready for some fun?"_

 _Cheers roar out amongst the crowd, though Lucy still picks up a groan here and there—she isn't the only one who is less than eager for whatever torture the She-Devil has cooked up for them today._

 **'Til next time,**

 **Commander Grizz out for the night.**

 **P.S. Blue got the answer, if you ain't seen Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, I suggest you go do so soon. Those movies are so cute, and Ellen Degeneres is so funny. (She plays Dory for those of you who didn't know)**


	8. On the Eighth Day

**Private Stele: Commander Grizzly, Commander StrikeForce has sent reinforcements.**

 **Commander Grizzly: *Looks up from maps* Explain yourself, Private.**

 **Private Stele: Commander Wesley and Commander Juan are here to offer up their assistance for this mission.**

 **Commander Grizzly: *Grumbles* Very well, let them in.**

 ***Enter two OC's***

 **Private Stele: Sir, the one on my left is Commander Wesley, and the one on my right is Commander Juan.**

 **Commander Juan: Sir, We were informed of your first failed attempt at claiming Fairy Tail from Mashima and we have brought a fool proof plan that is sure to exceed.**

 **Commander Wesley: Indeed, we suggest that you, Stele, instead of using *clears throat* your feminine wiles, as you so aptly put it, attack with an armored guard from the east so Mashima's guards go to that sector to hold on. Then, you go in with your fighters and start a heavy bombing in the roof to create holes.**

 **Private Stele: *Pouts* My wiles ALMOST worked...**

 **Commander Grizzly: *Raises hand* Are you not aware of the fact of Dragon Slayers at his disposal?**

 **Commander Juan: We are aware, sir, which is why we will wait until nightfall before moving, as the Dragon Slayers under his command need sleep just as much as us normal humans. Now, if you will let him, Commander Wesley will explain the last part of the plan.**

 **Commander Wesley: After the passing is done, Juan and I will arrive in transport airplanes with paratroopers and deploy INSIDE the building, capturing the Fairy Tail crew. And, if we are lucky and Stele holds long enough, the author himself, Hiro Mashima. Once the capture is secured, the division will send a flare signaling Stele to make a flanking movement surrounding the guards so they cannot rescue the crew and you will send transport choppers with escort to get us out.**

 **Commander Grizzly: *Growls* Private Stele, what do you think of this?**

 **Private Stele: Do I get a gun?! *devious smile* **

**Commander Grizzly: Easy, there, Private. There is no need to unleash the demons at this point in time. As for you, Commander Wesley and Juan, start preparations and Private and I will meet you there.**

 **Commander Juan: *Salutes* Thank you, sir. We'll take our leave.**

 ***Commanders leave room***

 **Private Stele: When do we deport, Commander?**

 **Commander Grizzly: Right after I say something to y'all, the readers. Y'ALL ARE AMAZING! Already over fifty reviews and y'all are still holding on for the ride. Also this whole scheme with Commander Juan and Wesley came from StrikeForceHeroeTeller. Now there's only FOLLOW...FAVE.. AND REVIEW for more. Private, sign us off.**

 **Private Stele: Aye, sir! You guys are super awesome! We truly couldn't do this without all of your support and encouragements. Thank you for following us in this crazy adventure we call a story! And, without further ado, read on for chapter eight! And look out for the well-deserved sneak at the bottom, but don't scroll too fast or you'll get spoiled!**

* * *

Chapter Eight

On the Eighth Day

Lucy jogs to the guild the next morning, a giddiness to her step that wasn't there the day before, or most of the days before that. But yesterday's snow day left a mark on her very being, making it shine just a little brighter than usual.

She trudges through the snow that still covers the ground, grateful that she decided to wear her long, brown boots instead of the shorter black ones she almost chose instead.

Today, she left her hair flowing freely, mostly so the long strands could keep her ears concealed from the frigid temperature outside. Her cream-colored blouse accentuates her slim waist, and the coffee brown skirt she wears hugs her slender legs, as do the matching leggings she wears beneath to keep said slender legs from freezing.

As she walks, she pulls the pea coat tighter around herself to help keep the chilly air from blowing against her. But, despite the snow and cold wind that whips against her face as she runs, Lucy isn't cold this morning. Call it exhilaration or adrenalin, but whatever it is she likes it.

When she gets to the guild, she pushes in through one of the doors and quickly closes it behind her to keep the snow and wind out. She pulls her coat off, hanging it on a nearby rack with other various coats before turning around. A frown immediately settles onto her face. The guild is dimly lit, the usual bright florescent lights turned down, and only a single strobe light can be seen from the stage across the room.

"Luce!"

Lucy turns around to see a grinning Natsu holding a huge bag of popcorn under one arm, and two glasses of what she assumes to be soda are balanced in one palm. Happy hovers near him, carrying various bags of candy in a small sack.

"Hey," she greets them with a genuine smile. "What's going on?" She asks, gesturing at all the munchies in Natsu's and Happy's arms. Natsu's grin turns mischievous as he leans close, pitching his voice low.

"You'll never guess what Mira suggested!"

Lucy can't stop the groan that escapes her. "Maybe I don't want to know…"

The last time the take-over mage suggested something, Lucy and Levy had somehow ended up putting on some embarrassing fashion show, modeling outfits the white-haired woman had supposedly created herself. They weren't flattering in the least, and Lucy, Levy, and a few other unfortunate Fairy Tail women, had been subjected to an hour and a half of absolute torture, changing outfits and walking across the stage for all the ogling men to see.

"Come on!" Natsu gestures with his head, since his hands are all full of treats, then leads her toward one of the tables near the back of the room. Erza, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, and Carla are all currently seated there, and most of them smile at their approach.

Juvia and Carla narrow their eyes and look away, while Gray flat out glares at Natsu, ignoring Lucy and Happy altogether.

 _I guess the happy snow day comradery is over…_ Lucy thinks with some amusement. Natsu and Gray are back to hating each other, Carla is back to ignoring Happy, and Juvia is back to assuming Lucy has some kind of crush on Gray, made worse by this looming Secret Santa thing that seems to have gotten around to the entire guild.

"When did you get back, Erza?" Lucy asks, sliding into the seat next to her. She turns a tired smile Lucy's way.

"Just this morning. I was coming to let Master know that I had returned when I heard of the… _game_ Mira has planned."

The way Erza says "game," and the sinister grin she wears, sends chills down Lucy's spine.

"Game?" She whispers, trying to keep the sudden panic she feels from seeping out into her voice. Erza's smirk grows but she says nothing, simply stares ahead at the stage. Lucy's gaze flicks over to the stage, which is currently unoccupied, though a spotlight of white does shine brightly directly in its center.

Lucy waits impatiently for something to happen, fidgeting in her seat as she does.

Natsu squeezes in beside her, and places one of the sodas in front of her. Happy lands on the table in front of Natsu, and spreads out the candy before them. Lucy's teeth hurt just looking at all the sugar content, but that doesn't stop her from snatching up a Reese's. Natsu flashes a grin her way. Happy carries over some of the treats to offer some to Carla, who refuses in a not-so-polite manner.

"Is someone going to tell me what is going on?" Lucy asks as she tears into the candy.

"You'll see," Natsu winks but makes no further comment. Lucy scowls but doesn't press the matter further.

"Hey, Lu-chan!"

Lucy turns to see her best friend walking towards her.

"Hey, Levy. Do _you_ know what's going on? No one will tell me anything!"

Natsu snorts beside her. Happy snickers. Erza smirks.

"I don't know, either, Lu-chan," Levy shrugs apologetically. "But, it looks like someone is going to entertain us, at least."

The bluenette slides into the bench across from Lucy and Natsu, grabbing a Twizzler from the candy pile, sticking her tongue out at Happy when he scowls at her for stealing his snacks.

Lucy offers her some of the soda she has, but Levy declines.

"Ooh, look! It's starting!" Wendy exclaims, pointing towards the stage.

Mira stands in the center of the spotlight, wearing a mischievous grin that says she is indeed up to something. Lucy groans again, wishing she had decided to stay home today.

"Hello, friends!" Mira chirps brightly into the microphone that hovers near her mouth. "Are you ready for some fun?"

Cheers roar out amongst the crowd, though Lucy still picks up a groan here and there—she isn't the only one who is less than eager for whatever torture the She-Devil has cooked up for them today.

"I know some of you only just got in, so I will briefly explain what is going on." She continues in that same, bright tone. Lucy starts to feel a bit on edge from anticipation. She wrings her hands in her lap, fighting the urge to chew her nails. She might need them later to claw someone's eyes out, depending on how this "game" goes.

"What's with the face?"

Lucy stiffens when she feels Natsu's hot breath on her ear, and slides closer to Erza.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She lies. Natsu raises an eyebrow, but she ignores him to focus on what Mira is saying on stage.

"After yesterday's exciting snow day," the white-haired mage continues, "I got an idea for something we could do _inside_ , since I'm sure everyone is still recovering from the snow games."

"What's she planning…?" Lucy mutters under her breath. Only the two Dragon Slayers sitting at her table hear the words, but neither acknowledges the comment.

"Who's ready for some fun?!" Mira calls out, spreading her arms out for emphasis to this supposed "fun."

More cheers resound from the gathered guild members, Wendy and Erza seeming to be to particularly excited about whatever is planned.

Mira continues in a cheerful tone.

"Alright, to begin, I will be drawing names from this hat," a gesture at a black top hat sitting on a stool that has magically appeared at her side. "I will be choosing two names at random, to take part in this challenge!"

"Did she ever explain what the hell this _is_?" Lucy asks of no one in particular. Her question goes ignored.

"Once the pair has been chosen, they will spin the wheel to determine which song they get to sing!"

"Wait, what?!" Lucy stares open-mouthed at the woman, feeling a sudden dread start to fill her.

 _No freaking way am I going to sing,_ she thinks bitterly.

"Karaoke," Natsu confirms to her left, shoveling popcorn into his mouth as he does.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Lucy whines dramatically.

"Me, too." Gray agrees from where he sits, slumped in his chair, obviously trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible.

"I think I have to be somewhere—" Lucy starts to say, trying to stand from her chair. Erza clamps a hand down on her shoulder, forcing her to remain seated.

"You will participate in this event." She commands, fixing her with a steely gaze. Lucy flinches and scoots closer to Natsu, who chuckles at her cowardice. She glares at him, but his gaze is fixed on the stage so he doesn't see the venom boiling behind her eyes.

"Also, per Fairy Tail tradition, this will be a competition to see which couple can earn the most applause!" Mira swipes her hand to her right, and what looks like a giant thermometer appears beside her. There are four sections, each colored differently. The bottom of the strange thermometer is red and has the word "TERRIBLE" done in blocky black lettering. The next section is orange and says "GOOD." Moving up, the color changes to a yellow and reads "GREAT." Finally, the last section at the very top is a bright green color with the word "FABULOUS," that Lucy is sure Mira chose herself, because she's sure no one in their right mind would choose the word "fabulous" to describe karaoke.

Dreadful, perhaps.

"What are the rules?" Someone calls from the front of the room.

"Right!" Mira grins at the speaker, then explains quickly. "There is only one rule…" Lucy waits as Mira pauses for dramatic effect. "Magic is not allowed," Mira shoots Lucy a wink from all the way across the room.

 _In other words_ , Lucy thinks with annoyance, _no using Lyra to my advantage._

"Without further ado, let the game begin!" Mira snaps her fingers and two slips of paper pop out of the top hat to hover before her. She grins evilly at the names written there. Lucy slides further down into her seat, hoping to become invisible. Likewise, Gray is practically under the table by this point, equally as appalled at the embarrassing turn of events.

Erza, Juvia, and Wendy all lean forward with eager anticipation, hoping for their names to be called up first.

All three are disappointed.

"The first pair is…" _Pause for dramatic effect_ … "Gajeel and Levy!" Mira practically squeals with excitement.

Levy, who is seated across from Lucy, suddenly becomes stiff as a board, and even in the dimly lit room Lucy can see the bright red blush sweep across the back of her neck.

"Um…" The script mage starts, mimicking Lucy and Gray by sinking into her chair. "I don't—"

"Come on, Shrimp,"

Gajeel appears at her side, dressed in his usual "performance" attire of white. He effortlessly lifts Levy up by the arm and drags her onto the stage, ignoring her protests.

Lucy can't stop the giggles that this scene causes, and breathes a sigh of relief that, at least for this round, she has been spared some humiliation.

Gajeel deposits Levy on a stool next to his, guitar already in hand. Lucy wonders for a brief moment where he got that guitar, since he certainly didn't have it a moment ago.

"Aren't you two the cutest!" Mira gushes, much to Levy's embarrassment. She scowls into the crowd, not even trying to look enthusiastic. "Now, who wants to spin the wheel?"

"Definitely not me," Levy mutters in annoyance.

"Oh, come on, now!" Mira gives Levy a wink, apparently trying to be encouraging. Levy crosses her arms and refuses to cooperate. Lucy chuckles at her defiance, but she's secretly glad that it's not her up there.

"Gajeel?" Mira raises an eyebrow. He, too, ignores her, and instead strums a chord on his guitar. Mira opens her mouth to say something, but the Iron Dragon Slayer doesn't give her a chance.

"Shoo-be-doo-ba!" He sings out.

A collective groan fills the room, and those not currently laughing hysterically, start throwing food in his direction. Levy shrieks when a tomato narrowly misses hitting her, then turns a fierce glare on Gajeel, who is too busy belting out the lyrics of his song to notice—or care that she isn't joining along.

"He's the worst singer!" Natsu groans and covers his sensitive ears as Gajeel's song carries throughout the room, reverberating off the walls. Lucy cringes at each "shoo-be-doo-ba" that the Dragon Slayer sings out, nodding in agreement with Natsu's statement.

On stage, Mira looks only slightly horrified, though this is probably more because Gajeel has bypassed her instructions than horror at his terrible singing voice.

Everyone else, however…

"Get off the stage!"

"You suck!"

"My ears!"

Then, Gajeel stops singing to glare out at the crowd.

"SHUT UP OR I'LL START OVER!" He shouts over the crowd. Everyone silences immediately.

"Oh, man…" Levy slumps in her chair, but suddenly Mira is right behind her in one of her She-Devil forms.

Levy cowers in her chair and lets out a yelp of surprise.

"SING." The terrifying woman commands.

"I like her style," Erza comments in a serious tone. Lucy gapes at her.

"O-Okay!" Levy squeaks out. "Um… Shoo-be-doo-ba?"

The words come out more as a question than actual singing, but Gajeel looks like he approves. His grin is wide as he leads her into the next part of the song, which she stumbles along with.

By the time the duo have finished their song, everyone is either laughing, or gaping in disbelief. Lucy can't decide which to do herself, so she settles with chewing on a fingernail as she waits for Mira to announce the second pair.

"That. Was. Torture." Levy heaves a sigh as she drops into her chair, head falling onto the table with a loud thump.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad…" Lucy lies, unconvincingly. Levy groans and mutters something unintelligible under her breath. Natsu and Wendy crack up. Lucy raises an eyebrow at Natsu, but he just quirks her a grin.

"Um, okay, then!" Mira awkwardly tries to pick up where she left off earlier, before Gajeel stole her show. "Let's choose another pair!"

" _Now_ can I leave?" Lucy asks, shifting in her seat again.

"No." Erza and Natsu reply in unison.

"Eugh." Lucy slams her head onto the table and prays that Mira doesn't call on her next.

"I am invisible," Lucy recites in a low voice. "I do not exist."

"Stop being so dramatic," Natsu elbows her in the side. "I bet you sing like an angel." He winks. She scowls.

"I don't sing." She insists.

"Today you do." Erza commands, and the blonde sinks lower in her chair.

"I hope my name gets called," Wendy's face is alight with excitement. Juvia's expression is similar to that of the young Dragon Slayer's, and Lucy hopes the two of them get chosen instead of her.

 _Anyone but me. Anyone but me!_

Mira snaps her fingers to call up two new names. Her expression is downright evil. Her eyes land right on Lucy, who pales under the demonic gaze.

 _No. Way._

"The next pair is…" _Stop with the damned dramatic pause!_ "Lucy and Natsu!"

"Just kill me and get it over with…" Lucy groans dramatically.

"Don't be a baby!" Natsu stands and, much in the same way as Gajeel, literally drags a protesting Lucy onto the stage.

 _Sheesh, since when is Natsu all fired up for karaoke?_

"Don't be shy, you two!" Mira ushers them forward. "Come spin the love wheel!"

"I thought it was a song wheel?" Lucy asks suspiciously. Mira shrugs.

"I'll do it!" Natsu cracks his knuckles and licks his lips in anticipation. Mira places a hand on his arm, stopping him just before he is about to spin the wheel—which looks like something from that one TV show where contestants spin the wheel for letters, only this one has songs.

"Maybe you better let Lucy," Mira suggests. "I wouldn't appreciate it if you broke my wheel." Her tone is a warning, and the Dragon Slayer pales before taking a step back and gesturing at the wheel.

"Uh, after you, Luce!"

Lucy scowls but tentatively spins the wheel, then watches as the songs blur by. Finally, the wheel stops, and the needle points to the chosen song.

"No freaking way!" Natsu exclaims, face contorting with disgust.

"Ooh, how romantic!" Mira squeals, hearts popping out of her eyes. "Lucy has chosen the song, 'Baby, it's Cold Outside'!"

"I'm _not_ singing that!" Natsu protests, still looking horrified. "Make Ice Princess sing that!"

In a flash, Mira is standing right in Natsu's face, again transformed into one of her She-Devil forms. The pinkette gulps in terror.

"Are you choosing to defy me?" She asks in a demonic tone.

"No?" Natsu squeaks.

"Then sing."

Lucy facepalms. _Idiot._

Mira transforms back in an instant and grins crookedly at Natsu before making her way off the stage. Lucy rolls her eyes at the strange woman. Yes, this was definitely all her idea.

The music begins, and Lucy starts feeling panic rise up inside of her. She fingers the hem of her shirt, eyes wide as saucers as she waits for her cue.

Beside her, Natsu stands with a huge grin in place, apparently already forgetting about the song choice. Despite her terror over being forced to sing karaoke in front of the whole guild, she is also insanely curious to hear Natsu sing. One can only assume that the destructive idiot can't sing a lick, but that doesn't mean that is a correct assumption. Maybe he would surprise them.

Maybe.

Lucy stands stock still, eyes fixed on the lacrima screen in front of her that shows the lyrics as they scroll by, indicating when each person should sing. Lucy opens her mouth to start, but freezes with sudden stage fright and misses her cue.

"You're up, Luce," Natsu murmurs, lightly poking her in the arm to get her attention.

"Y-You do it!" She hisses back, still too terrified to actually _sing_ in front of the whole damn guild. "I can't!"

"Sure, you can!" Natsu encourages, then gestures for Mira to restart the song. He gives Lucy a reassuring smile. "You can do it."

She nods and turns back to the screen as the music restarts. She swallows the lump in her throat, then takes a deep, steadying breath. When her line scrolls across the screen, she sings out the words in a small voice.

" _I really can't stay_ …" Her voice is small, and even through the mic it can barely be heard. Natsu rolls his eyes as he picks up the lyric.

"( _But baby, it's cold outside_ ,)"

Lucy turns to the Dragon Slayer in absolute shock as she sings her part, the mic following her movements.

" _I've got to go away,_ "

"( _But baby, it's cold outside._ )" At this he gives her a wink, but she is still too flabbergasted to even think what it could possibly mean. Natsu...Can _SING_. Well. She is so astonished by this that she stumbles over her next line and it comes out a little garbled.

" _This evening has been_ ," her eyes are locked on his now, ignoring the words on the screen. She is transfixed by his lilting tones, and his onyx eyes which sparkle emerald in the light from the strobes. Around them, the room is deadly silent. No one moves. No one breathes.

"( _Been hoping that you'd drop in_ ,)" Natsu waggles his eyebrows at the words "drop in," and Lucy nearly loses it, but somehow manages to sing her part.

" _So very nice_ ,"

"( _I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice_.)" Natsu scowls a bit at this last part, and Lucy can't help the smile that expression brings to her face. She doesn't have much time to feel amused, however, as this is a particularly fast-paced song. A quick grin is all she has time for.

" _My mother will start to worry_ ,"

"( _Beautiful, what's your hurry?_ )" A faint blush colors his cheeks at this line, and Lucy nearly misses her cue when she notices it, and hears the way he sings " _beautiful…_ "

" _My father will be pacing the floor,_ "

"( _Listen to that fireplace roar._ )" At this, Natsu holds up a hand with a flame, grinning widely at her. She splutters a laugh and misses her cue, but Natsu picks up with his next line effortlessly, though his tone has gone softer now."( _Beautiful, please don't hurry._ )"

" _But maybe just a half a drink more?_ " The lyric comes out more like a question, as Lucy is distracted by the intense look Natsu is giving her. The next lyric doesn't come from Natsu, but is flung their way from an already-drunk Cana.

" _(Put some records on while I pour_ , baby!)" The card mage calls out loudly, holding up a beer mug towards the duo on stage. Lucy flushes crimson when she remembers they have an audience.

 _And I'm totally gazing into Natsu's eyes like some lovesick fool!_

In her shock, Lucy misses the next verse and has to glance over at the screen to find a place to pick up the song.

" _I wish I knew how,"_ she thinks she sings it, but since her brain is currently mush, she might have just totally butchered the words.

"( _Your eyes are light starlight now.)_ " Natsu doesn't sing the words, either, but rather recites them in a serious tone that forces Lucy's attention back on him. Her gaze meets his, and the greens bore into hers.

" _To break the spell_ ," this time her voice is a whisper, and Natsu follows with a barely perceptible murmur of his own.

"( _I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell._ )" He reaches forward, as if to touch one of the strands of her hair. She freezes and the music surges on without them.

"I… Have to go to the bathroom!" She says abruptly, then spins around on her heel and hurries towards the women's bathroom.

Before she can slam the door closed, Levy is there, pushing into the room with her before closing the door and locking it.

"What was all that, Lu-chan?" Levy asks her friend.

Lucy runs a hand through her hair as she paces the length of the bathroom, suddenly hot and flustered.

"I… I don't know." She admits. "Is it hot in here?" She waves a hand in front of her face, feeling flushed.

"No… It's just you." Levy stands with arms crossed and a calculating expression as she studies the pacing blonde. "Did you find your gift yet?"

"Pfft," Lucy scoffs. "No. Yesterday's clue gave me absolutely _nothing_ to go on!" Lucy is practically shrieking at this point, frustration and embarrassment morphing into anger.

"It said something about… A week of challenges, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Lucy dismisses the question with a flick of her wrist. Her mind is still reeling from what just took place on stage. How can she possibly think of anything else?!

"Well… What does that tell you, Lucy?" Levy presses, refusing to let the blonde ignore the task at hand. Lucy sighs heavily before answering.

"I don't know, Levy-chan. Every day at Fairy Tail is a challenge."

"Well, that's true…" Levy agrees. "However, I think you're missing the point here."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Lu-chan," Levy's tone commands Lucy's attention. Lucy stops her pacing to glance back at her friend. "A week of challenges… A twist in our future that no one could have foreseen. Isn't it obvious? Besides Tenrou Island, what was the most life-changing event we went through as a guild?"

Lucy's eyes flash with realization, and when she speaks her words are a whisper.

"The Grand Magic Games."

Levy nods. "Yes, but what came after that?"

"The Eclipse gate!" Lucy facepalms. "Of course! But, wait, my Secret Santa doesn't really expect me to go all the way to Crocus to find the next gift, do they?" Surely, that was just too ridiculous to even consider. There was no way she could go all the way to the nation's capital to look for a tiny parcel.

"I don't think it's as complex as you're making it out to be in your head," Levy says with an amused smile.

"Where else would it be, though?"

"Well…" Levy narrows her eyes in thought for a moment, unsure how to answer. This clue was perhaps the most confusing one of all. "It wasn't at your house?"

Lucy opens her mouth to say something, then stops herself with a frown.

"Actually, I didn't even check," she admits. "I was in a rush to get out the door this morning and forgot to look."

"I bet that's where it is, then."

Lucy grins. "Thanks, Levy. What do you think are the chances of me sneaking out of here before Erza sees me and drags me back?" The script mage laughs.

"Well, I think there's a slight chance that you'll make it out alive."

"Gee, that's so encouraging." Lucy deadpans, making Levy laugh again.

"Good luck."

Back at her apartment, Lucy breathes a sigh of relief that she somehow managed to evade both Erza and Natsu, and, for once, the annoying Dragon Slayer isn't there waiting for her when she arrives.

She immediately goes to searching for today's gift, even though she still has no idea as to exactly where it could be.

Finally, she finds it sitting in perhaps the most obvious, and the least obvious place: directly on top of her unfinished manuscript, the one about dragons that she had never told anyone about.

 _But someone knows…_

Taking the box in her hand, she carries it over to her bed, where she buries herself under the blankets to stop the chill from hitting her so harshly.

She unwraps the box with some hesitation, though she isn't sure what is stopping her from just ripping into the thing. Digging through the cotton, her fingers close around a familiar object.

She pulls out the charm, feeling her eyes widen at the sight of it.

A golden charm gleams back at her, but when turned a certain way in the bright light above her table, it almost gives off a reddish hue. She studies the exquisitely detailed charm with fascination. The events of what occurred after the Eclipse gate was opened flash through her mind.

The charm in her hand is a dragon, its head wrapped around its body so that it lays on its tail, and gives the impression of being asleep.

"Impressive…" She murmurs, fingering the charm before hooking it on the bracelet next to the others. It stands out among the rest, which should be indicative of who this Secret Santa is, but Lucy still can't make the connection. Her brain feels fuzzy today, which seems to be a common occurrence, at least as of late.

With a deep sigh, Lucy pulls out the note for today, in hopes that it will be less of a riddle than the previous ones have been.

The note reads:

 _On the eighth day of Christmas, I give you a dragon._

 _This dragon expresses a time in which the world was nearly lost,_

 _But it also signifies a much more personal meaning._

 _On the ninth day of Christmas,_

 _look for petals that shine in the night._

 _Your Secret Santa._

"Petals that shine…" Lucy puzzles over the words for a moment, frowning as she does. A memory bubbles up from the depths of her mind, and she knows exactly where to find the next day's gift.

* * *

 **Stele has a few words she wants to say that she couldn't at the beginning so I'm doing her this favor and adding her additional A/N below. As for my usual, you'll read that below hers.**

 **Stele A/N: Hello, lovely readers! I just wanted to personally thank you all for the amazing reviews Grizz and I have been getting. We truly love to see all the lovely things you have to say, and we read each and every comment, so don't feel that yours has been neglected, because it hasn't! We appreciate you guys more than you know, as my dear friend often says in her A/Ns.**

 **Anyway, I wanted to give a special thank you to "StrikeForceHeroeTeller" for suggesting the karaoke contest to me via PM. I wasn't sure what to do with this suggestion at first, but I think I made it work! XD Let me know what you guys thought of that scene, as it was somewhat difficult to write. I tried, StrikeForce! I tried! XD Alright, enough from me. Thank you all for your amazing support! You're the best! *Blows kisses* Bye for now!**

* * *

 **Now y'all know I don't set up my A/Ns like this but it helps me stay some what organized so before we go any further I'll give y'all the sneak peek first.**

 _However, behind the tree that Lucy had looked behind, a shadow moves up from the roots and Sting and Rogue step out, both looking around the tree to make sure she's gone before Sting speaks._

 _"Dumb ass, what if she caught you?" Rogue turns on the light slayer and scowls._

 _"She wouldn't have even looked if you hadn't made a sound. Seriously, you're just as bad as Natsu when it comes to your hunger."_

 _Sting pulls back as if he was slapped. "Oi, I'll have you know that this whole thing wouldn't have been a problem if we had gotten here an hour earlier like I had suggested."_

 _Deciding not to let the argument go on any further, Rogue calls the shadow door back up. "Come on, let's get to the guild hall."_

 _Sting scowls, but jumps through the door first with Rogue a second behind. After the shadow slayer steps through, the door fades._

 **What are they talking about? Y'all will see next chapter.**

 **I know this story is coming to a close soon, but the rides not over yet to hold onto your hats because it's gonna be a bumpy one.**

 **Commander Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. ShanaHollows, I am so sorry I didn't see your answer to the question earlier.**


	9. On the Ninth Day

**Grizzly: Stele, was our plan a success? Do we own Fairy Tail?**

 **Stele: *Groans* Sorry, Commander, it was definitely a failed operation. **

**Grizzly: Well with that being said we suffered major casualties including the on loan commanders from StrikeForce.**

 **Stele: *Pulls off uniform* Finally, we can get down to business.**

 **Grizzly: Hey, Stele.**

 **Stele: Yeah, Grizz? **

**Grizzly: Am I reading the review numbers right?**

 **Stele: Hell, I don't know! I lost count of how many reviews we have gotten since the last chapter dropped! It's incredible. **

**Grizzly: Yea, it is. 76 reviews is just incredible. Never and I do mean NEVER have I had that many on a story. I think my oldest tops out at 65. What about you, Stele?**

 **Stele: Hm… I have one that just reached 50 today, but that's as many as I've ever gotten. This story has seriously been a crazy awesome ride. Don't you think, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly: Yea, it has, and with what we have planned out it's only gonna get crazier from here. Now what exactly happened when we left the readers to chapter 8?**

 **Stele: Chapter 8 left off after Lucy left Natsu on-stage during their steamy karaoke scene. What happens next for our heroine, Grizz?**

 **Grizzly: Y'know, alluva sudden I have a case of memory loss. That may be from the cold or it may be from the fact that y'all should go read chapter 9 and find out. Stele, sign us out.**

 **Stele: Aye! We thank each and every one of you for all the amazing reviews. Now, don't forget to fave, follow, and review for sneaks! Speaking of which, Grizz, have our darling readers earned themselves a treat this chapter?**

 **Grizzly: AYE, SIR they have, but y'all won't see it until later. Bye for now.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

On the Ninth Day

Humming. That one sound can mean being lost in thought or being happy. In Lucy's case, it's a mixture of both.

The spirit mage hums as she walks down the street, not really focusing and trusting her feet to get her to where she wants to go.

Where is the spirit mage's mind? Bouncing between the karaoke contest from yesterday, what happened with Natsu, and the new gift she's going to find.

When she reaches the sakura forest she tears her mind away from her thoughts and focuses on getting through the trees without slipping, the humming never stopping.

Up ahead, a break in the trees can be seen and as she gets closer, the break turns into a clearing.

Stepping into the clearing, she sees something move on her right, but when she turns her head nothing is there, so she turns back to the clearing.

In the middle of the clearing, sits a snowman in the shape of canis nikora, or also known to her as Plue. She laughs softly at the resemblance and steps forward to take the gift from the snowman's hands.

As she turns to make her way back to town, a growl hits her ears and she turns to the sound instead, curious as to what it may be.

Moving to the side of the clearing, where the sound came from, she pulls her whip from her side and slides the gift into her key pouch, but when she looks behind the tree she's sure the sound came from, there's nothing there.

She frowns, but shrugs and ties her whip back to her side before leaving the clearing, humming, again, coming from the cheerful mage.

However, behind the tree that Lucy had looked behind, a shadow moves up from the roots and Sting and Rogue step out, both looking around the tree to make sure she's gone before Sting speaks.

"Dumbass, what if she caught you?" Rogue turns on the light slayer and scowls.

"She wouldn't have even looked if you hadn't made a sound. Seriously, you're just as bad as Natsu when it comes to your hunger."

Sting pulls back as if he was slapped. "Oi, I'll have you know that this whole thing wouldn't have been a problem if we had gotten here an hour earlier like I had suggested."

Deciding not to let the argument go on any further, Rogue calls the shadow door back up. "Come on, let's get to the guild hall."

Sting scowls, but jumps through the door first with Rogue a second behind. After the shadow slayer steps through, the door fades.

XxX

Back at the apartment on Strawberry Street, Lucy sits in front of her roaring fire with her comforter thrown over her shoulders and a cup of tea, growing cold, sitting on the coffee table behind her.

She ignores the drink, instead choosing to stare at the still-wrapped gift, her eyebrows narrowed in thought. That is, until a light tapping is heard from the window.

Lucy looks up at the window and sees Happy hovering outside, with ice hanging off his whiskers from the cold. A soft smile appears and she gets up, opening the window enough for the Exceed to slip through before shutting it and locking it again.

"Happy, what are you doing here?" She looks back at the cat to see him landing in front of the fire.

"Natsu went off somewhere, and Carla isn't at the guild, so I'd thought I'd come spend time with you, Lushi," he says.

Lucy smiles, this time bigger, and sits back down before pulling him into her lap and frowning. "Happy, you're so cold, did you spend the entire time flying around Magnolia?"

Happy puts his paw on his chin and shakes his head. "No, I flew from the guild to here, but I did fly higher than I usually do."

Lucy lets out an exasperated sigh at the cat's foolishness. "Happy, don't you know the higher you fly, the colder it gets?"

His eyes grow to the size of saucers and he shivers, as the heat from the fire finally gets through his coat. "No, I didn't, when I'm with Natsu, I never have to worry about it."

A smile returns to her face in understanding. She pulls the edges of the blanket around them, so that Happy's not only wrapped in her arms, but in the blanket as well.

"Well, now you know, so you just rest there and get warmed up." Happy nods and curls up in her lap and purring can soon be heard as she picks the gift back up.

She slowly pulls the paper, and the lid, off and digs through the cotton. When she feels what she's looking for she pulls it out by the hook to reveal a cherry blossom.

The charm itself is made of white gold, while different colors can be seen on the petals as the fire light hits it.

Memories flash through her mind as she looks at the charm, from the time Natsu sailed the sakura tree down the canal in front of her apartment, to the years she's enjoyed the festival with her Fairy family.

She looks down at Happy, then back at the charm, as something pokes at the back of her mind.

"Could he be the one doing these things?" She murmurs, as she pulls the bracelet off her arm.

She turns the bracelet over in her hands, the blossom set on the floor next to her, as she goes over the charms, starting from the flame and ending with the sleeping dragon.

Then, she shakes her head. "Nah, it's not possible, he's too dense to do something like this." And with that statement she clips the blossom onto the bracelet and slides the jewelry back onto her wrist.

Next, she reaches under the cotton and pulls out the note. Taking a deep breath, she unfolds and reads it.

 _On the ninth day of Christmas I give you a sakura blossom,_

 _Only one day out of the year do these bloom, and on that night I saw your face light up under the rainbow of colors. If you will be mine, I wish to always see your face light up like that, as bright as the stars that you so cherish._

 _On the tenth day of Christmas,_

 _Look for a gift that led us to the moon and back._

 _On a level not easily achieved will you find the light in the night._

 _Your Secret Santa._

"Look for a gift that led us to the moon and back?" Lucy asks herself as she leans her head against the edge of the coffee table, staring at the ceiling.

Slowly, her eyes fall, and before long she joins the Exceed in her lap in dreamland, while a pair of eyes look on from the window ledge.

* * *

 **Hehe, anyone know who the eyes are? If you do, good for you. If you don't you'll figure it out soon enough.**

 **First up, here's your treat for so many amazing reviews.**

 _"Hmm. Interesting."_

 _Lucy jumps when she feels hot breath on her neck. Natsu is standing right behind her, frowning as he reads over her shoulder._

 _"W-What are you doing?!" She shoves him out of the way, hoping he doesn't notice the way her hands shake when she does._

 _"Looking at the clue," he replies nonchalantly. She narrows her eyes at the innocent look in his eyes._

 **Now, down to business. Did y'all know that freezing rain is cold after walking in it for half an hour? All so I can give you the new chapter.**

 **In other news... Yea I got nothing. I'm trying to turn out new chapters for my other stories plus Stele and I are still working on editing 'The Magnolia Crews' so I got a lot to do.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. Stele, have fun with the brats. XD**


	10. On the Tenth Day

**Stele: Grizz, we're on chapter 10! What are your thoughts of the story up to this point?**

 **Grizzly: I think that this rollercoaster of a story is just starting to reach the peak of the free fall.**

 **Stele: Aye, that it is. Tell us, where did we leave off last chapter?**

 **Grizzly: Hmm, where did we leave off? If I remember correctly we found out what Sting and Rogue were doing in Magnolia. While on the other hand Lucy received the cherry blossom charm. That sound about right?**

 **Stele: Sounds right to me!**

 **Grizzly: What's gonna happen this chapter, Stele?**

 **Stele: Well, next chapter is going to be a bit of a bumpy ride for our protagonists, wouldn't you say, Grizz? I don't want to give too much away, but I don't think you guys will want to miss this one! Make sure you pay close attention! **

**Grizzly: Aye, next chapter is certainly either gonna have you lovin us or hatin us but, Stele, why are we talking about next chapter when they have yet to read this one?**

 **Stele: Because we like to tease XD**

 **Grizzly: Well, then, I think we've teased y'all enough for this chapter so with the typical FOLLOW, FAVE and REVIEW we'll let you move on. Remember five or more reviews earn you a sneak peek at the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Ten

On the Tenth Day

It's the chill that finally rouses her.

Lucy groans as she lifts her head from the uncomfortable position against her coffee table. She must have been tired if she slept like that through the whole night, without waking to change positions. She rubs at the back of her neck as she glances around her, mind still fuzzy from sleep. Her fire went out sometime during the night, and Happy was no longer resting in her lap, though the blanket had been carefully arranged around her shoulders.

"Huh," she wonders, briefly, where the little blue Exceed took off to. How long has he been gone?

She pushes to her feet, body aching from sleeping on the floor all night, and makes her way into the bathroom.

After a long, hot shower, her sore muscles feel a little better. She dresses quickly, then grabs a granola bar and a water bottle from her kitchen before heading out to the guild.

"Hiya, Luce!"

Lucy stops walking only long enough to shoot a quick glance behind her. When she recognizes the approaching figure, she quickly turns around and hurries off down the street, hoping he'll take the hint and leave her alone.

But, of course, that is just too much to ask for.

"Lucy, wait up!" Natsu catches up to her in moments, thanks to his longer strides, and falls into step beside her. "What's the big hurry?"

"I'm just trying to get out of the cold." She replies evasively, which is more or less true. She _is_ freezing, despite the multiple layers of clothing and heavy coat she wears.

"Where ya headed?"

"To the guild, of course." She rolls her eyes in irritation. _Really, where else would I be going?_

"Did you find your gift yet?" He asks, momentarily surprising her.

"No," she begins slowly. "That's where I'm going right now. Do…you want to join me?" Her tone is hesitant, she hasn't forgotten the heated moment the two shared on the karaoke stage, or when she fell into his arms the day before, or when she awoke wrapped in his embrace…

Still, he is her best friend, after all, so maybe he can help her out.

Unless, Natsu is—

 _No. Don't even go there, Lucy._

"Sure, Luce!" He quirks her a grin. "Any idea where it might be?"

Lucy nods, pulling out the note from yesterday and handing it over for Natsu to read. She watches him from the corner of her eye, waiting for some reaction. But he keeps his expression neutral, giving nothing away.

"So… where do you think it is?" He asks carefully. Lucy frowns for a moment, then shakes her head, ignoring the curiosity that starts to bubble up inside her.

"Well, the note says: 'look for a gift that led us to the moon and back. On a level not easily achieved, will you find the light in the night.'," Lucy pauses to let this sink in.

"I don't get it," Natsu says with a frown. Lucy rolls her eyes.

 _It's definitely not Natsu. He's way too dense to come up with such an elaborate scheme._

"Natsu, it's clearly talking about Galuna. Remember when we took that job?"

"Actually, you stole it."

Lucy growls.

" _You_ stole it, you idiot!" She shrieks at him. He just shrugs. She huffs. "Anyway, _someone_ stole the job request from the second floor level in the guild, right?"

"You did?!" He turns a look of mock disbelief her way. She punches him in the arm, hard.

"Ow!"

"I already told you, it wasn't me!"

"Well, you're the only one who got a reward out of that job, if I recall." He points out. She opens her mouth to argue, then closes it. She just shakes her head and decides not to justify that with a response.

When they reach the guild, Lucy races up the stairs to the second level, ignoring the few people who try to chat with her.

She quickly finds the gift, hanging from a string that is attached to the request board. She pulls it down, then makes quick work unwrapping it.

All the while, Natsu is standing there, leaning against the ledge that looks over the guild, and watching her with dark eyes. He watches as she peels back the wrapping, letting it fall silently to the floor before her. Her long fingers pull back the lid before digging out the charm inside: a silver moon with a faint purplish gleam to it.

"I was right," Lucy whispers, her voice carrying over to the Dragon Slayer. He waits silently, not saying a word while she examines the new gift. When her eyes find his, he gives her a cheesy smile that, for some reason, makes her cheeks flush.

Turning away, Lucy pulls the note from the box, then tosses the box with the cotton onto the nearby table.

She unfolds the note, reading it softly, knowing that Natsu is still standing there, listening.

 _On the tenth day of Christmas, I give you the moon._

 _This moon symbolizes our time on Galuna island,_

 _when the purple glow shone down upon us._

 _On the eleventh day of Christmas,_

 _look for that which was once a childhood friend,_

 _In the place where she came back into your life._

 _Your Secret Santa_

"Hmm. Interesting."

Lucy jumps when she feels hot breath on her neck. Natsu is standing right behind her, frowning as he reads over her shoulder.

"W-What are you doing?!" She shoves him out of the way, hoping he doesn't notice the way her hands shake when she does.

"Looking at the clue," he replies nonchalantly. She narrows her eyes at the innocent look in his eyes.

"And?" She presses.

"And?"

"What do you think?" She waves the note in the air for emphasis.

"What do _you_ think?" He shoots back with a grin. She growls in frustration and resists the urge to Lucy-Kick him.

"I don't know! That's why I asked you!"

"How would I know?"

"You just said it was interesting!" She points out.

"True," he pauses a moment, as if thinking of an answer. "I've got nothing."

"Idiot," she grumbles under her breath, then takes her gift and the note downstairs.

"By that murderous glint in your eyes, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you were just talking to Flame Brain."

Lucy stops walking and turns toward Gray with a small, amused smile.

"Is it that obvious?"

Gray nods. "Most definitely. Only Natsu can bring out the worst in someone." He rolls his eyes, then gestures for Lucy to take a seat. She does, placing the new gift on the table in front of her. Gray frowns at the charm in thought for a moment.

"Galuna island?" He guesses.

"Exactly," she affirms. "But, it's the note that has me stumped."

She passes it over and Gray puzzles it over.

"What are you doing, my darling?"

Juvia suddenly pops up behind Gray, casting a demonic glare on Lucy that rivals one of Mira's. Gray flinches, not looking back at her, and ignoring her as he continues to read over the note. Juvia's face falls when she gets no response, shooting Lucy an accusatory glare, like this is all because of her.

"A childhood friend?" Gray muses aloud. "Did you have a lot of those growing up?" He looks up at Lucy, passing her the note back. She shakes her head.

"No, not really. I spent my entire childhood in our house,"

"In your enormous estate," Gray adds dryly. She rolls her eyes and ignores him.

"So, I didn't really have many opportunities to make friends."

"So, then, who _was_ your childhood friend?" Juvia asks, sliding into the seat next to Gray. He narrows his eyes but stays where he is.

Lucy shrugs, then lays her head in her hand.

"I didn't have any. Except for my maids, and the other servants around the house. They were my friends."

"What about that Lobster girl?" Gray asks. "The one who went evil."

"Michelle?" Lucy picks her head up, eyes widening in realization.

 _Look for that which was once a childhood friend._

Michelle, her 'cousin', had come to the guild to deliver a clock piece that her father had bestowed upon her. However, it soon became clear that that the girl had ulterior motives, and she eventually showed her true agenda in delivering the clock piece to Lucy.

A lot went down over the course of only a few days, but in the end, Michelle, or Imitatia, had been turned back into Lucy's childhood doll; her old friend.

" _Gonzalez…_ " Lucy murmurs.

"What?" Gray asks, not having heard Lucy's words. She shakes her head, it isn't important.

"Michelle used to be my doll, we went on adventures together." She explains. "She was my best childhood friend for a long time."

"So, the gift is… Michelle?" Juvia asks with a frown.

"No, it'll be a charm. But, what exactly that is, is the question."

"And where it will be," Gray adds.

"Right,"

"Is this the last gift?" Juvia asks. Lucy shakes her head.

"No, if Secret Santa is doing what I think he is, then there will be twelve in all." Lucy then proceeds to tell them about the conversation she had with Emmy at Half Baked a few days ago. "Though, I have no idea what will happen on day twelve. Will Secret Santa finally reveal himself to me?"

"Unless you figure it out beforehand," Gray shrugs.

"You still don't have any ideas?" Juvia's tone is disbelieving. Lucy can't blame her, seeing as it has already been ten days and she's still too dense to figure it out.

"I have _some_ ideas…" She mutters evasively. Gray and Juvia exchange a glance. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Juvia smirks, wrapping herself around Gray's arm like a vise. "It's not Gray." She tells her pointedly.

"Gosh, and here I was so hoping that my _brother_ was the one sending me love gifts." Lucy says sarcastically, emphasising the word 'brother' for Juvia's benefit.

It works, because the water mage loses her evil smile for one that is only slightly less sinister.

"Brother, right." She nods, looking satisfied by this.

"So, then, who _do_ you think it is?" Gray presses. Lucy clears her throat and avoids eye contact. "Not gonna tell us, huh?" Gray's tone is amused.

Lucy glances at an imaginary watch.

"Oh, look at the time! I'm supposed to meet, uh, someone. Right now. Bye!"

She hurries off, in the opposite direction of the two smirking wizards.

"Do you think she's finally figured it out?" Gray murmurs. Juvia shrugs.

"Sometimes, I can't decide who is more dense between the two."

Gray chuckles. "You're right. But, it sure is interesting to see them try to figure it out."

 **XxX**

Lucy trudges through the snow on her way back to her apartment, ignoring all the sights and sounds around her as her mind wraps around the conundrum that is her life as of late. She doesn't even notice the figure following behind her.

That is, until they suddenly reach out and grab her wrist.

"Eek!" She lets out a girly shriek of surprise and spins on her heel to offer up a Lucy-Kick, only to slip on the icy ground. Before she can fall, a pair of arms wraps around her, and she's looking up into a pair of dark eyes. Light brown locks frame a face that is too pretty to be called "handsome."

"Hibiki?" She asks in surprise.

"In the flesh," he pulls her up into a standing position, but doesn't release his hold on her. His charming smile falls on her, and she suppresses a groan.

"Please don't tell me you're here to claim to be my Secret Santa, too," she says tiredly. "I don't think I can deal with that again right now."

Hibiki frowns for a moment before understanding lights up in his eyes.

"Ah, yes. I heard about that." He nods. "But, alas, it is not I whom you search for. If I were to court you, I would be straightforward about it. I wouldn't go to such lengths just to get your attention."

 _Well, that's most likely true._

At least she doesn't have to deal with Hibiki claiming to be her Secret Santa. However…

"Um, can you maybe let me go, then?" She struggles to get out of his embrace.

"Sorry," he lets her go, smiling that charming smile that all those Blue Pegasus boys seem to excel at. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"

Lucy heaves a sigh, her earlier annoyance starting to seep back in.

"I'm just going home now."

"Mind if I walk with you?" Hibiki offers with a gallant bow. "I couldn't possibly allow a beautiful woman to walk these streets alone."

"She's not alone."

Lucy turns to the new voice in surprise. Natsu stands there, arms crossed over his chest, eyes dark and narrowed at Hibiki. Some emotion Lucy can't quite identify is fixed firmly on Natsu's face. She frowns, trying to decipher the strange look there. It's almost like…

 _Jealousy,_ her mind supplies.

She sucks in a sharp breath at the realization, but neither boy notices her sudden revelation.

 _Natsu is jealous… of Hibiki? Does he even possess such an emotion?_

"Natsu, I didn't see you there." Hibiki says, mimicking Natsu's posture down to the narrowing of his eyes. "I must have been too transfixed by Lucy's beauty to notice the stain on this lovely winter landscape."

Natsu growls. "Shut up, pretty boy! Get out of here before I beat some sense into you. And you wouldn't want me messing up your pretty face, now, would you?" Natsu raises a challenging eyebrow. Hibiki looks like he might argue further, but apparently decides that risking his precious looks is not worth getting into it with Natsu.

Lucy rolls her eyes as the archive mage slumps off.

"Gee, Natsu, could you be any meaner?" Lucy snaps when Hibiki is far enough away not to overhear. Natsu looks back at her in surprise. She stares him down with narrowed eyes, hands on hips. He pales a bit at her expression.

"Um…" He scratches his head in deep thought. Lucy blows out a frustrated breath.

"Never mind," she snaps, then turns on her heel to continue on home.

"Where are you going?" He asks as he follows along beside her.

"Home."

"Can I come?"

"Would you listen if I said no?" She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Nope!" He grins a cheesy smile. She sighs.

 _So not worth it._

"Fine, but don't even think about crawling into my bed tonight!" She warns.

"What if you get cold?" He counters.

"Then light a fire and STAY OUT OF MY BED!" She screeches at him. He flinches as the sharp tones hit his sensitive eardrums. Then mutters something that sounds vaguely like, "Okay," before falling into silent step with her.

The two stay like this, walking silently side-by-side, until they reach her apartment. When Natsu immediately starts for her fridge, Lucy grabs him by the collar and forces him to a stop before pointing a finger at her unlit fireplace and giving him an expectant look. He grins sheepishly before obeying her unspoken command.

While Natsu builds a fire in her hearth, Lucy goes into the bathroom to changes into a pair of pajamas. As she does, she wonders what the next couple of days will entail. What will the last two gifts be, and how will they all correspond with one another? Will it be made obvious whom her Secret Santa is before he makes himself known to her? Or, has it been plainly obvious this whole time?

As Lucy ponders these thoughts, she leaves the bathroom, now dressed in black yoga pants with a red Fairy Tail insignia down the side, and a red shirt with a black Fairy Tail insignia on the front. Her socks are fuzzy and warm, and her hair is left loose to keep her ears warm while she sleeps, even if the long locks sometimes get in the way when she turns over.

When she reenters her bedroom, she sees Natsu stoking a blazing fire. She stops in the doorway for a moment at the sight. It's so… Natural, like he belongs there.

Sensing her presence, the Dragon Slayer turns his head her way, eyes lighting up at the sight of her as a smile pulls at his lips. She frowns in return, curious what that smile is about.

"You okay, Luce?" He asks when she continues to frown. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, then makes her way over to her bed, crawling under the covers and pulling them up to her neck. The room is already starting to heat up from the fire, but the slight chill is enough for her to still need some blankets, though certainly not enough as when she has no fire.

"Luce?" His tone is low, almost a whisper, and comes from close to her ear. She keeps her eyes closed, refusing to turn her head to look at him.

"What, Natsu?"

"I'm… gonna stick around. To make sure the fire doesn't die out. Okay?" His words are carefully chosen, his tone equally as even and precise. Lucy frowns into her pillow, wondering why he's actually, sort of, asking her permission. Since when does he _ask_ if he can stay?

"Fine, whatever." She agrees, her tone dismissive, uncaring. But inside, her heart is beating hard against her chest.

* * *

 **Y'know, while Stele was writing this chapter we were talking and I was like 'Watch that Hibiki is gonna play the secret santa.' Know what her reply was? 'I was gonna do that but I decided to play it a different way.' It's so funny to see when someone can almost read your thoughts.**

 **Ever had that happen to you?**

 **But anyway we hit the five review mark so you've earned your sneaky treat.**

 _"What are you doing here?"_

 _The spirit's smile turns into a frown as she states sharply, "That idiot lion told me what's been happening these past few days."_

 _A small smile appears at the edges of Lucy's lips at the spirit's words but it quickly turns into a frown, as her thoughts turn back to more pressing matters._

 _"And, what's your thoughts on this whole mess?"_

 _A tick mark appears on the spirit's forehead at her words but she ignores it, instead choosing to shrug. "To be honest, brat, I think it's cute. Even if you are so dense that you refuse to believe what is right there in front of you."_

 **Can you guess who it is? You'll find out next chapter.**

 **Keep it up with the reviews y'all and I'll see ya next time.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. Two more chapters y'all, and a week 'til Christmas.**


	11. On the Eleventh Day

**Grizzly: *Swings spoon against pan* Stele, wake up! Wake up!**

 **Stele: *Groans* I'm awake! Now, bring me some coffee if you wish to live.**

 **Grizzly: *Snorts* Get it yourself, I just came up to tell you that we have 99 reviews and it's still growing.**

 **Stele: *Sits up fast* For real?! That is amazing! I am so excited that our story has been so enjoyable.**

 **Grizzly: Yes, it's real. Why on chapter ten alone we have twelve reviews! But it would seem that people have already figured out the sneak treat I left last chapter.**

 **Stele: Well, that is true, but I don't know why there are so many, either. I guess our darling readers are becoming more and more excited with each new chapter. Which is really fun to see! Also, I am actually a little surprised that they figured it out so easily. I guess our readers are Fairy Tail geniuses! **

**Grizzly: That they are but let me tell you right now, this chapter y'all are absolutely gonna hate us. Now on my profile I have a small note about the NaLu v. NaLi war, which is all I'm gonna say about it at this point in time. Stele, your turn.**

 **Stele: I claim full pardon on this chapter! I had nothing to do with this! Nobody throw tomatoes at me! Grizz did it! Right, Grizz?! I… uh… did absolutely nothing!**

 **Grizzly: You may avoid the tomatoes for this chapter on this story but remember that this Thursday I'm pointing all fingers at you on _The Magnolia Crews_.**

 **Stele: *hides face* I'm embarrassed already! Don't tell them that! **

**Grizzly: If y'all are wondering what's going on. I just started dropping a story called _The Magnolia Crews_ I drop it every Thursday and if you want to know why I'm throwing her under the bus you'll have to tune in for this week's chapter. Anything else, Stele?**

 **Stele: Well, as next chapter is our last one, we won't have any sneaks for you guys, but we still want you to leave reviews to let us know how we're doing! And don't forget to also follow and fave our story, and be sure to check out Grizz's new story (a personal favorite of mine, I must add!), _The Magnolia Crews_. With that said, sign us off, Grizz!**

 **Grizzly: I will see y'all later, now go read chapter eleven! :)**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

On the Eleventh Day

The next morning, Lucy rolls over and her hand falls from her blanket to land on something silky soft. She pulls her fingers through it, enjoying the softness, but her eyes open when purring reaches her ears. Slowly, she blinks the sleep from her chocolate brown orbs to see a pink mop sitting beside the bed, and as her mind comes up to working order, she realizes it's Natsu, asleep, leaning beside her bed.

 _Well, at least he stayed out of my bed,_ she thinks, as she watches the fire dragon softly purr in his sleep.

 _Wait… fire dragon?_

She sits up and removes her hand from his soft locks, as she pulls the bracelet down her arm to look at the dragon charm in the fire light.

Then, she gets up and makes her way to the table, being careful not to wake her partner up, as she rifles through the clues, looking for the note for the eighth day.

When she finds it, she tilts it to the fire light and rereads it.

 _On the eighth day of Christmas, I give you a dragon._

 _This dragon expresses a time in which the world was nearly lost,_

 _But it also signifies a much more personal meaning._

 _On the ninth day of Christmas,_

 _Look for petals that shine in the night._

 _Your Secret Santa._

She pulls the note away and looks back at her sleeping partner, the gears in her head churning a hundred miles an hour.

 _It's not possible. He's too dense to have orchestrated something this delicate by himself._

Then, the twin slayer's words come back to her.

" _We're here for the next two weeks, helping Natsu with something."_

Her breath hitches at the thought, but before her mind can go any farther into what it might mean, Natsu's eyes blink open, and he looks at her, as a sloppy grin spreads across his face.

"Morning, Luce."

She nods in reply, not quite focusing on the slayer, as she tumbles over the thoughts that refuse to stop churning in her mind.

 _Could he be my Secret Santa?_

A part of her wars against the idea.

 _NO! He isn't your Secret Santa, he's your partner in crime, your nakama, he could never love you that way. He's too dense._

 _Wait._

 _Love? Where the hell did that come from?_

The whole time this debate is raging in her head, Natsu is still sitting next to her bed, watching with intrigue, the emotions that flicker across her face. She still stands in the same spot, the necklace in one hand, the note in the other.

Finally, Natsu stands and walks over to her. She's snapped out of her warring thoughts when he snaps his fingers in front of her face.

"Luce, Lucy, Earthland to Lucy! Do you read me in there?"

Her eyes snap to his face and she squeaks before stepping backwards and tripping on a shoe, but before she hits the ground Natsu catches her, grin glued to his face.

"You sure are being weird lately." He comments. She scowls at his words and pulls away from him, crossing her arms to ward off some of the sudden chill that rises from escaping his warm arms.

Natsu shrugs, a pout on his lips, as he makes his way to the kitchen to raid the fridge. Lucy takes a deep breath, making sure to drop the anvil on her thoughts, pinning them down to look over at a later time, before laying the note and bracelet on the table and going to take her shower.

After her shower, she steps out of the bathroom, humming, and looks through the kitchen door to find Natsu gone and her apartment to herself, while she gets ready to head to the guild.

After she gets ready, she stops and packs all the notes and her bracelet in the box the bracelet came in.

Deciding that it would be better to puzzle out the whole thing in the quiet of the guild library, she sets off quickly, making sure to avoid the icy patches on the stone. As she walks, her thoughts keep returning back to what happened this morning.

 _There is no way in hell, Natsu could be my Secret Santa._

But, once again, that nagging voice counteracts.

 _And, why couldn't he be Secret Santa?_

 _Because he's my best friend. My partner; teammate. Plus, he could have his choice of any girl he wanted._

 _And yet, here this sexy, flaming, annoying as all hell..._

 _You're really not helping your case, you know that, right?_

 _Shut the hell up and listen already. Natsu may be loud, boisterous, and constantly breaks into the apartment and steals the food, but he is hot, and not just his magic. I mean, have you_ seen _those abs? Anyway, he treats you like gold, and sure, he annoys the hell out of you, but would you have it any other way?_

Lucy stops in the middle of the path at the sudden question. "Would I want him to stop being annoying?" She whispers, answering the voice aloud.

 _See, now that I have your attention, you prissy, prideful blonde, stop and think for a second. Where was he when each gift was found?_

Lucy's eyebrows furrow and she takes shaky steps, not realizing she's stopped in front of the guild doors, until the doors fly open and a screaming Elfman narrowly misses her, knocking her out of her thoughts.

She sighs and makes her way up to the bar, where Mira stands, talking to Cana.

"Hey, Mira, can I get a hot chocolate?"

Mira looks up from where Cana has her cards laid out, and notices the partially thoughtful look the celestial mage wears, before nodding and disappearing into the kitchen.

Lucy sits on a stool while she waits, staring at the back wall, but not really seeing it, as she continues arguing with her inner-self.

 _Well, on the first day, when I found the bracelet, I had Lucy-kicked him out of my apartment._

 _And, where was the first gift located?_

 _On the stoop, but still it could've been anybody, the gift was partially covered in snow._

 _T hat's because it was snowing all day long that day, but whatever, where was he on the second day?_

Lucy looks up when Mira sets the mug in front of her, and nods, before taking the mug and heading to the library.

She shuts the doors behind her, and makes her way to the back of the library, where she and Levy set up a hidden cove for when they want to be left alone by certain nagging nakama. Namely, a fire dragon slayer and the other members of Team Shadow Gear.

Sighing, she settles onto a plush couch and sets the box on the coffee table, propping her feet on said table next to the box, as she leans back with the mug of hot chocolate in hand.

 _On the second day, when I woke up, he was in my apartment again. But still... how would he have had the time to hide the gift next to the kindling, if I wasn't in the shower that long?_

 _Girl, your showers are half an hour long, he had plenty of time to hide it, then get the hell out of dodge to avoid another hearty Lucy-kick. Now, what about day three?_

Lucy let's out a small growl at the incessant nagging, and takes a sip of the hot beverage before going back to the interrogation, as she's starting to see it.

 _On the third day, he wasn't anywhere near my apartment when I woke up, and the fridge was still stocked with food._

 _Okay, then here's where we take into consideration: the fact of Sting and Rogue._

She takes another sip of her drink before thinking back to running into the slayers.

 _While it's true, I don't know how long they've been in town. Why would they want to help Natsu, if he really is the one doing this?_

 _A favor, a bribe, hell, a good fight would work for Sting and Natsu. Then, of course, Rogue will come along just to make sure Sting wouldn't get into too much trouble._

Lucy groans, the entire mess with the Secret Santa getting on her nerves. Finally, she asks aloud, "Why can't this stupid Secret Santa just come out here and tell me himself?"

Then, the conversation with Emmy boils up from her memories.

" _My Fiance actually used the twelve gifts to ask me out. He couldn't get up the courage to ask me himself, so he left gifts, instead."_

And the sound of her palm meeting her face fills the air.

 _Because he's scared you're gonna turn him down. Now, doesn't that seem like something a certain Slayer you know and love would do?_

 _Now, hold up, I never said I love him! As for him being scared, bull shit. The only thing that scares him, is Gildarts, and even then Natsu still didn't give up._

 _You're not seeing the point: everyone gets scared of rejection. Isn't that why you took forever to join Fairy Tail?_

 _That's different, and I still ended up joining._

 _The only reason why you joined was because that hunk-of-hotness dragged your skirt-clad ass through the front doors and plopped you down in front of Mira._

Her head snaps up from where it lays on the sofa and she glares at the opposite wall, as if trying to burn holes through the voice in her head that is making a ton of sense but she just wants to ignore.

 _That is not how it happened and you know it._

 _Sure, keep telling yourself that, honey. In the meantime, where was he on the fourth day?_

 _On the fourth day, I didn't see him until I got to the guild where he..._

She tries to stop the thought but the nagging continues.

 _Where he gave you the snowflake._

 _Yes, but he said that he got it from Gray, and Gray isn't my Secret Santa._

 _Ever think he lied?_

 _How did he lie if Gray backed up his claim?_

 _Because Gray's in on it, too. Hell, Lucy, half the guild is, haven't you seen it?_

Lucy stand up and starts pacing while mumbling.

"No, it's not possible. There is absolutely no way he's the one giving me these gifts. It's just not possible. He's too dense, I'm not good enough, there are others that are way prettier."

A knock on the bookshelf has Lucy stopping in her tracks to see Levy coming around the corner with a tray of food.

"Hey, Lu-chan, Mira said you had disappeared to the library. So I brought some food."

Only when Levy says that does Lucy notice her growling stomach and smiles at the script mage. "Thanks, Levy-chan."

Levy nods and sets the food on the table before sitting on the sofa opposite of the one Lucy sits on. Then, the script mage takes notice of the box with the notes.

"Still trying to figure out who's your Secret Santa?" Lucy frowns at the script mage before picking up one of the bowls of soup on the tray.

"You could say that," Levy immediately picks up on the current of disbelief in her friend's voice.

"So, then, you _do_ have an idea of who it is?" Lucy takes a bite of the soup before nodding and setting the bowl down.

"Levy-chan, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me truthfully," The script mage eyes the spirit summoner warily before nodding.

"Do you know who it is? And, have you been helping them?"

Levy takes a sharp breath and is quiet for a minute before saying slowly, "I know who it is, but, no, I haven't been helping them."

Lucy frowns as Levy adds, "I told them I didn't want to be a part of it, but I do know a few others who are helping them."

"Levy-chan, who is it?" Lucy presses further. Levy frowns at the question and her eyes look anywhere but at the simmering blonde.

"Levy..."

Finally, Levy stands up and states quickly, "I have to go, Mira asked Team Shadow Gear to run a few errands around town." Before disappearing around the bookshelf and the doors of the library slamming shut.

Lucy groans in frustration and falls back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. Out of the corner of her eye Lucy catches a flash of gold and when she lifts her head she's surprised to find one of her spirits sitting on the couch across from her.

An uncommon soft smile splayed across her lips as she watches her owner drown in frustration.

"Aquarius, what are you doing here?"

The water bearer's smile turns into a frown as she states sharply, "That idiot lion told me what's been happening these past few days."

A small smile appears at the edges of Lucy's lips at the spirit's words but it quickly turns into a frown, as her thoughts turn back to more pressing matters.

"And, what's your thoughts on this whole mess?"

A tick mark appears on the spirit's forehead at her words but she ignores it, instead choosing to shrug. "To be honest, brat, I think it's cute. Even if you are so dense that you refuse to believe what is right there in front of you."

Lucy's eye twitches and she asks sharply, "So, then, what's your advice if I'm so dense?"

Aquarius raises her urn to look at her reflection before advising, "Find the last two gifts, I think you've already made your mind up, if I'm reading your emotions correctly, but find out what these last two gifts are and give the slayer a chance."

Lucy frowns but nods anyway and the spirit returns to the spirit realm. Sitting up, Lucy finishes off her lunch before gathering up the tray, hiding the box under the sofa, and walking back upstairs into the noisy guild.

After she returns the tray to Mira, she walks out of the guild and starts to wander, generally aiming towards her apartment in hopes that the next gift is where she thinks it will be.

She turns down a street but a muffled conversation on the edge of her hearing stops her in her tracks.

She back tracks towards the sound of voices to stop at the edge of an alley. Peering around the corner, she sees a certain pinkette lip locked with a girl with silver shoulder length hair.

The girl pulls away and Lucy hears, "Did you like that?" and takes off before she can hear anything else. Her heart is beating a million miles a minute and rage boils inside her for reasons unknown to her.

When she gets far enough away, her sight starts to blur and when she reaches up, she feel tears.

 _Why the hell am I crying?_

 _Because, as I told you, you're in love with him._

She ignores the voice in her head and finally makes it to her apartment, where she slams the door behind her and locks it.

Turning around, she looks up to where her doll, Gonzalez, sits above her writing desk and sure enough, she can see the gift sitting in the doll's lap.

But, she turns away, instead choosing to sit down and lean against her bed, her thoughts in turmoil.

 _Why? Why would he go through this shit if he loves her?_

 _You ever think she came onto him?_

 _If he truly loved me, he would've pushed her away._

Lucy draws her knees up and lays her head against them, her thoughts, unbidden, fly through her head faster than she can follow.

Memories from the past few days start popping up.

Her waking up in his arms.

His face inches from hers when they had crashed into the tree.

His voice during the karaoke contest.

Unknown to her, the tears start to fall harder until she's gasping for breath as she comes to a startling realization.

 _I love him. I love Natsu Dragneel._

Then a second thought crosses her mind, that makes her heart clench.

 _And he's in love with someone else._

When a gust of cold air hits her skin, she jumps up to see the boy she was just thinking about sitting there on the ledge, watching her with concern.

He steps off of the ledge onto her floor and she backs up.

"Luce, why are you crying?"

Her emotions start warring at his question but it's rage that wins out in the end, as she balls her fist and, tears silently falling, looks down at the floor.

"I should be asking _you_ why,"

Natsu tilts his head, a look of confusion marring his features.

"Why, what?"

Her reply is so low that even he has trouble making it out.

" _Why_ do you insist on doing this?"

His confusion is evident to even the pissed off mage as he asks, this time warily, "Insist on doing what, Luce?"

Her head snaps up and a shiver runs down the fire mage's spine at the look of pure and unadulterated rage spiraling in her dark chocolate eyes.

"Why do you play me along like some toy? You leave all these gifts for me to find and say you love me... but then I find you lip-locking with Lisanna in an alley?"

He steps back and frowns. The rage pouring off of Lucy in waves.

"Luce—"

"No, I don't want to hear it, get out of my apartment." Her voice drips with venom and rather than incurring her wrath further, he jumps back up to the window ledge but looks back one more time.

"Lucy, please, just let me explain."

"No, Natsu, I don't want any of your excuses, just go away." With those words he disappears out the window and Lucy's knees buckle, leaving her to lie on the floor.

The rage that boiled in her veins just seconds ago now escapes as silent tears.

After a while, the tears dry and she lies in a fetal position in front of the fire, mind too tired to think but eyes not willing to give in. So, there she lies, watching the fire as it crackles, pops, and licks along the wood in its grasp.

It isn't until her eyes start to burn from the hot flames that she realizes she's been staring into the fire this entire time. She blinks rapidly, trying to alleviate some of the dryness in her eyes.

 _How long have I been lying here?_ She wonders, rubbing her stinging eyes with the backs of her hands.

She turns her head to the clock to see that a few hours have passed while she lay in front of the fire but when she turns her gaze back to the fire her eyes land on the gift sitting in front of her doll.

Heaving a sigh, she stands on stiff legs and walks over to her writing desk, grabbing both the gift and the doll before sinking into the chair.

With Gonzalez safely tucked under her arm, she slowly, hesitantly, unwraps the gift and pulls the top off.

Pulling back the cotton, she finds a miniature version of the doll tucked under her arm. The hook connects at the top of the doll's head and in it's hand she can make out an almost microscopic key, similar to the one that she received before the zentopia fiasco.

The entire charm is a solid gold and she admires it in the fire light before setting it on the desk and digging up the folded note underneath.

She takes a deep breath before unfolding it and reading in the fire light:

 _On the eleventh day of Christmas,_

 _An old friend reminds you of what you've lost but also of what you've gained:_

 _A friend, a family, and a love so deep that not even a falling star could bring it down._

 _On the twelfth day of Christmas,_

 _Your final gift can be found where the wild meets the docile,_

 _At the peak of the Fairy's Tail but under it's bell will you find this heart._

 _Your Secret Santa._

Lucy heaves another frustrated sigh and lets the note fall to the floor.

"How did I not see it before?" She whispers, eyes shining with unshed tears. It seems so painfully obvious, now. The notes were just as frustrating as Natsu.

"And just as annoying." She grumbles under her breath.

 _Still..._

"Why would he go through so much trouble just for me? What does he want?"

After a moment of thought, Lucy pulls the bracelet from her wrist and hooks on the charm, then stands and places Gonzalez back on the shelf before changing into pajamas and going to bed.

* * *

 **Well, like I said y'all are gonna hate us for this chapter, but I also said that there's a reason for this. Now on my profile I have a small note about the NaLu v. NaLi shipping war. and it goes something along the lines of I see Natsu and Lisanna as sister and brother but if I'm in the mood I will write her as jealous.**

 **Now this does not only go into effect for jealousy but also as you see here, her confessing to Natsu. The reason why I wrote it like this? Simple. I need a catalyst for the next chapter. The entire time we've been writing this story I kept trying to come up with a catalyst for what we had in mind for chapter 12. My answer was piss Lucy off.**

 **And hey it worked didn't it?**

 **With that being said, it all comes to a conclusion the day after tomorrow. Y'all will find out what happens with the final gift, the final note will bring you to tears and the ending, well lets just say you're in for it.**

 **Now onto the next part of my A/N, the sneak peek.**

 _Mira glances up at her in surprise at the wild look in the blonde's eyes. Juvia also looks slightly bemused, and Gray looks to be the only unaffected party. In fact, his expression is knowing as he gives Lucy a smirk._

 _"Mira," Lucy says, ignoring the ice mage. "Did you know about this?"_

 _Mira gives her an expression that is so overly innocent, Lucy immediately narrows her eyes at her. Mira sighs._

 _"Yes," her tone reluctant. "But you can't hardly expect for us to give him away, now, can you? We're his friends, too."_

 **BTW. Stele picked it out. XD**

 **So with that I'ma let y'all go.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. For my Dragon King and Queen fans, and my Dragon's Sanctuary fans, if you haven't seen it yet I will be dropping a new chapter for both this week. All stories of mine are now being edited by Stele so there will be a lot less errors.**


	12. On the Twelfth Day

**Stele: So, Grizz, we have reached the conclusion to our little Christma fic. However, we did this chapter a little different than the others. Can you tell our readers about this?**

 **Grizzly: *Sobs* Y-yea S-stele *Sniffles* This chapter, the final chapter,*Wails* we split up. It's still in third person but instead of being solely focused on Lucy's journey, it also expands to include Natsu. Now in chapter 11 y'all got hella angry because I pulled a bit of a bitch move, but as I explained I had to. Anyway, because of that y'all will get to see what went down as Natsu saw it, but then we do a bit of a flip. Stele can explain that part while I go tear my heart to shreds.**

 **Stele: *giggles* Well, yes. Grizz explained it pretty well. Basically what we did, was split the chapter into three parts. Grizz wrote the parts that are mainly about Natsu, while I took on Lucy, though, it all evened out pretty well in the end, I'd say, to give us each equal parts. This is the first "split" chapter we have done, so bare with us if it seems choppy. Though, I don't think that will be an issue, as Grizz and I make a fabulous team, if I do say so myself. XD**

 **Grizzly: *Sniffles* Thank you, Stele, but there are a few other things to be told. Last chapter I told you the note will bring you to tears. And it will. I am telling you now, and with how Stele wrote the angst around it, is breathtaking. And if you're wondering I wrote the note. Anything else Stele?**

 **Stele: Let's see… I can't seem to think of anything else to say, other than to, yet again, thank each and every person who has followed along with us for this journey. It truly amazes me the amount of support we get with each new chapter. You guys are the best, honestly. And we hope that you continue to follow along with us as we find stories to tell you. Our co-writing relationship has only just begun, so look forward to seeing more from us in the future. Right, Grizz?! *Grins***

 **Grizzly: AYE, SIR! NOW GO READ THE CONCLUSION TO THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

On the Twelfth Day

On the outskirts of Magnolia resides a small shack with tree branches shooting from the roof and the upper walls. Inside the hut a certain salmon-haired fire mage lies in a hammock that hangs from the ceiling.

His hands are clasped behind his head and he stares at the ceiling while one leg pushes off from the wall causing the hammock to rock slowly. This action being repeated every time the hammock swings back to the wall.

His onyx eyes that are usually lit with life are now just a dull black, his mind turning over the events of the past day.

 **~Flashback~**

 _He had fallen asleep next to Lucy's bed but woke up the next morning when the hand that was in his hair disappeared._

 _After he cleared out Lucy's fridge he made his way to the guild for the daily brawl and, besides Erza smashing his and Gray's heads together, it was a pretty good day._

 _Lucy was finally figuring out the clues, Sting had gotten his reward for helping place the gifts, and Rogue had gotten his fight with Gajeel._

 _Mira and Levy hadn't spilled the fact that he's Lucy's Secret Santa yet, which surprised him greatly, until he took in the fact that Levy and Cana had a massive amount of cash on the bet of when Lucy finally figured it out._

 _Yes, it had been a good day. Until he started making his way to Lucy's apartment, excited to see her expression when she opened the next present._

 _Along the way, he heard someone call his name and he turned to see Lisanna running towards him. A casual and friendly grin spread across his face._

 _"Hey, Lisanna, what are you up to?"_

 _Instead of answering his question, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a nearby alley._

 _A few steps in, she let him go and turned to him, her cheeks a pink three shades lighter than his hair._

 _"Natsu, I, uh, wanted to tell you something."_

 _Natsu frowned in confusion and she stammered, "N-Natsu, I-I l-love y-you."_

 _To say he was shocked was an understatement but he got over it quickly._

 _"I'm sorry, Lisanna, but I don't love you like that. I love you as a sister and nakama."_

 _Lisanna frowned but then did something unexpected._

 _She pushed Natsu up against the wall and kissed him._

 _His eyes were closed from the shock of hitting the wall; he didn't register the strawberry and vanilla scent that crossed his nose._

 _Lisanna pulled away a short moment later and asked in a breathy tone, "Did you like that?"_

 _Natsu scowled. "What the hell, Lisanna? I told you I don't love you like that. I love Lucy."_

 _Lisanna frowned and avoided his eyes._

 _He snorted and pushed past her, back to the street, where he picked up the scent. Turning that way, he picked up his pace until he was sprinting down the street and skidded to a stop in front of her apartment._

 _Jumping up to the window, he looked through to see Lucy's face buried in her knees, and as he worked the window open, he could smell her tears._

 _When she noticed his presence, she jumped up so that her back faced the fire. When he stepped off the ledge, he took note that she took a step back and asked quietly, "Luce, are you crying?"_

 _Her hands curled into fists at her sides and she avoided his questioning gaze that held just a bit of alarm._

 _When she spoke, his attention was drawn away from the tears that silently made their way down her cheeks._

 _"I should be asking you why."_

 _His confusion was evident as he took a small step forward. "Why, what?"_

 _He was lucky that he stepped closer as he could barely make out her reply._

 _"Why do you insist on doing this?"_

 _His instincts acted and he took a step backward as he warily asked, "Insist on doing what, Luce?"_

 _When her head snapped up, and he saw her normally dark chocolate brown eyes a bright brown from rage, a shiver traveled up his spine._

 _Her voice rose an octave as she replied. "Why do you play me along like some toy? You leave all these gifts for me to find and say you love me... but then I find you lip-locking with Lisanna in an alley?"_

 _He unknowingly took another step back._

 _"Luce—"_

 _His reply was cut off when he heard the venom dripping from her voice._

 _"No, I don't want to hear it, get out of my apartment."_

 _His worry skyrocketed, and against his heart's demands, he climbed back onto the window ledge. He tried one more time and looked back at the emotionally wounded celestial mage._

 _"Lucy, please just let me explain."_

 _"No, Natsu, I don't want any of your excuses, just go away."_

 _His heartbeat almost died when he heard her response._

 _When he landed on the ground below her window, he looked back once more before trudging away._

 **~End Flashback~**

The hammock stills as he rubs his hands down his face. "Ugh, what the hell am I gonna do now?" He asks to the empty shack.

With a sigh, he heaves himself up out of the hammock and walks over to the fireplace where the last gift sits.

"Might as well put this out, hopefully she'll let me explain now." He mutters, dragging his feet out the door and towards the guild hall.

When he reaches the back door of the guild, his expression does an automatic one eighty and he steps inside.

Quickly he places the gift in it's hiding spot before taking a seat at the bar where Mira sets a tray of food in front of him, but when he barely touches it, the take-over mage can tell something's up.

After she gives Cana her morning barrel of sake, Mira leans on the counter in front of Natsu and tries to look him in the eye, but he just stares at his food.

"Alright, Natsu, what's wrong?" Natsu looks up at Mira and she takes a step back at the dead look in his eyes.

"Luce is mad at me," He murmurs and Mira frowns.

"Natsu, Lucy is mad at you almost every day. So what is really going on?" Natsu sighs and pushes the plate of food away.

"No, you don't get it, Mira, she is seriously pissed at me and she won't let me explain."

Mira frowns. "What did you do to push her that far?"

The fire mage shakes his head. "I didn't do it, at least I wasn't the cause of it."

"Natsu, I can't help you if you don't explain." Natsu lays his head down on his arms and Mira has to lean in to hear him.

"Lisanna confessed to me, then kissed me, and Luce saw it. Now, she thinks I was playing with her when I left those gifts."

Mira hums and goes to say something when the doors open and the aforementioned celestial mage walks in. She looks around before walking up the steps, ignoring the fire mage who lifted his head up to try and catch her eye.

He heaves another sigh before standing and stating solemnly, "I'm gonna take a mission for a few days, hopefully by the time I get back she won't be so mad."

Mira frowns at the dejected mage but can do nothing as he walks up to the board and walks out the front doors.

* * *

Bright sunlight filters in through sheer curtains, illuminating the sleeping blonde and gently rousing her from sleep.

Soft eyelids flutter open as dark, chocolate orbs peer around the room, at first in confusion, and then the events of the previous evening flood through her mind at once and she visibly cringes as though she's been struck.

"Ouch," she moans softly, as the pain from her encounter with Natsu ebbs at her heart. She recalls the very moment that the realization hit her that Natsu was the one orchestrating this entire thing and the way it made her feel knowing that he loved her. But, then she saw that kiss in the alleyway between Natsu and _her_ (she refuses to even think the name, now). She can still picture the way his eyes had become impossibly wide when she busted him on his cruel actions. And, perhaps most of all, she can still feel the way her heart had broken just before throwing him out of her apartment and how quick he had been to heed her command, not even trying to argue his case.

Not that she would have listened. She didn't want his excuses then and she doesn't want them now.

With a venomous scowl, Lucy throws the covers off and stomps into the bathroom, as if she could stomp the anger out beneath her feet.

She gets ready quickly, not bothering to wash her hair and instead pulling it back into a bun to keep it out of the way of the spray of water from her shower.

Once she finishes washing up, she let's the hair loose, barely remembering to run a brush through it before she leaves the house. She's not even sure what she put on today, and she doesn't care if it matches or not. She's too hurt and angry to bother trying to look cute today.

She trudges through the snow at a somewhat steady pace but stomping proves to be too difficult in the deep snow, so, she simply shoves the snow angrily out of her path with her boots as she goes along.

The cold air helps to clear her mind some but it doesn't completely erase the pain that pulls at her heart every time she thinks about her dragon.

 _No. Not mine anymore. He belongs to someone else now…_

This new thought spins her mind into another rage and she lets out a frustrated groan. She doesn't even notice that she isn't alone until someone speaks up from her right.

"Whoa, better be careful, Lucy, you don't want to fall into that cold water."

Someone snickers.

She balls her hands into fists, gritting her teeth together against any retort, and speed-walks the rest of the way to the guild, keeping her head low to avoid eye contact with any passersby.

When she gets to the guild she is nearly frozen because, in her haste to leave this morning, she had forgotten her sweater by the front door. So she shivers violently against the chill that threatens to turn her bones to ice, thus freezing her like a statue.

She shakes off the cold as she starts up the guild steps so no one asks her why she was stupid enough to go out in this weather without a coat, because that is something she is so not in the mood to deal with.

Before she opens the doors, she pauses to collect herself. She takes a deep, steadying breath and shakes her arms a bit to work some warmth into them. She tries for a smile but her lips won't lift into anything more than an expression of indifference.

 _Whatever._

When she pushes through the doors, her eyes immediately find Natsu, then pointedly look away before he notices as she races up the stairs, hands still clenched tight.

 _This is stupid,_ she thinks bitterly as she hurries up more and more stairs. _I shouldn't even care. I should ignore his last, stupid gift. It doesn't mean anything, now._

Despite her raging thoughts, Lucy continues up to the roof, in search of her last Secret Santa gift.

When she nears the top, she has to stop and rest for a moment. She suddenly feels exhausted, but whether that be physical or mental exhaustion she can't say for sure. Perhaps a mix of both.

Finally, she pushes through the door to the roof and carefully makes her way across the ledge to the brass bell that hangs just above their proud Fairy Tail sign.

 _On the twelfth day of Christmas,_

 _Your final gift can be found where the wild meets the docile,_

 _At the peak of the Fairy's Tail but under it's bell will you find this heart._

She resists the urge to smirk at how obvious this last clue was. Or, maybe she's finally learned how to decipher these notes.

 _Maybe he meant for it to be simple…_ Her mind supplies helpfully. She scowls at the thought.

Continuing along, she reaches the bell and peers around it, looking for shiny, purple paper. Something gleams in the sunlight but it's just out of her reach.

"Damn dragon," she grumbles, stretching on her toes to try and snag a corner of the small box.

After several failed attempts at getting to the gift, she pulls back in a huff of annoyance.

"Damn you, if you wanted me to get to it so easily, why'd you have to go and make it so hard to reach?!" Her voice is a low hiss. She kicks the side of the bell tower, wondering how she's going to get it down if she can't reach it.

Her answer comes in the form of a snicker.

"Having some trouble there, Blondie?"

Lucy turns with surprise at the Exceed hovering near her with a smug look upon his face.

"Lector? What are you still doing here? I thought you all left after the snow day."

Lector shrugs with indifference. "We came back," he says evasively. Lucy sighs.

 _I told you the other Dragon Slayers were in on it, too…_

"Shut up!" She shouts. Lector looks slightly taken aback.

"What?"

Realizing she just replied to herself aloud, Lucy flushes in embarrassment before giving Lector a small smile.

"Sorry, it's not you," she apologizes. "But, since you're here, do you think you can lend me a paw?" She gestures at the bell, then points to where the box is slightly hidden beneath it. "Some idiot pushed it too far out of my reach."

Lector snorts. "Sure, Lucy. I guess I can give you a hand. After all, you did help me out once."

For a moment she frowns in confusion, then she recalls how Lector had fallen into the icy waters and Lucy had offered him shelter at Fairy Tail as well as some warm blankets to help stave off the chill.

"I guess we're even now," she jokes, but he ignores her as he flies up to retrieve the parcel for her. He drops it into her waiting hands as he flies by.

"See ya, Blondie!" He calls out as he soars off the side of the building, presumably in search of Sting.

"Thanks," she murmurs, even though she knows he can no longer hear her.

Despite the frigid temperature outside, Lucy sits down on the roof's ledge to open the gift.

She takes her time, slowly unwrapping the paper, then pulling back the lid with almost hesitant motions. She digs the charm out with slightly shaking fingers, eyes pinched shut as if afraid to look.

 _Don't be a baby,_ she chastises herself, then, with a determined nod, she opens her eyes.

The tiniest gasp escapes her lips when her eyes land on the opulent charm. This charm far exceeds the rest in terms of its beauty and uniqueness. The heart-shaped charm is a brilliant gold and has a star engraved into its flat surface. It is impressive due to the sheer detail displayed on the charm, despite its simplicity.

"A heart," she murmurs, voice catching slightly in her surprise.

 _Not_ a _heart,_ she thinks. _HIS heart._

Natsu.

Tears well up in her eyes as she turns the charm over in her hand.

 _Maybe I was too hard on him. Maybe it was a misunderstanding?_

 _No. I saw him kissing her!_

 _But…_

She shakes her head, ignoring the sudden doubt starting to burn through her.

She attaches the heart to the bracelet before finally pulling out the note to read, though she has to keep wiping her eyes as she does so because each new line brings forth more tears and more memories.

 _On the twelfth day of Christmas_

 _I give you my heart,_

 _My heart is a fragile thing but so full of love just for you._

 _Every gift you've received these past days has had a second meaning._

 _They all represent memories we share._

 _The flame, my own fire that burns brighter when you are in my life._

 _The wings, the freedom you enjoyed when Happy and I met you in Hargeon._

 _The snowflake, all the missions, all the times we've spent with_ _ice dick_ _Gray, who treats you as a sister._

 _The sword, Erza is a knight among us and treats you as a sister._

 _The book, how often do you spend time with Levy? I can't count how many times I've seen you two talking or spending time together._

 _The tree, the seven years we spent on Tenrou because of Grimoire Heart and Acnologia. You proved yourself to be stronger than anyone in the guild because even when the rest of us are ready to give in, you don't._

 _The dragon, the Grand Magic Games, when you thought you let us down. In truth, I had let you down because I couldn't save you when it counted. But, again, you proved to be the strongest because you shut the eclipse gate._

 _The cherry blossom, surely you remember the sakura tree? Even if I don't admit it to anyone else, yes, Happy and I were the ones to dig up that tree and sail it down the canal because you decided to be a weirdo and get sick._

 _The moon charm, Galuna Island, didn't exactly like the fact that I got frozen but you defeated Sherry and her monster mouse. You called Lyra and revealed to_ _Ice prick_ _Gray what he was trying to run from._

 _The doll charm, when I almost lost you to the infinity clock, as you were falling you looked so much like the stars you cherish that I can't help but call it as I see it. You are a falling star and I had wished you would be mine._

 _So, there you have it. My twelve gifts to you, my heart laid out for you to see. I love you, Lucy Heartfilia, I don't know when I fell for you. It could've been when we ran from the soldiers in Hargeon or any number of other times, but I do know that once I started I couldn't stop. You are way out of my league. You shine brighter than the stars and your smile, sweet Mavis, your smile alone has my heart beating out of my chest._

 _Your Secret Santa,_

 _Natsu Dragneel._

By the time she finishes reading, she is sobbing and has to hold the note slightly away so she doesn't soak it with her tears.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She screams the words inside her head. Why had she never seen the feelings Natsu had for her until this moment? Well, she occasionally had thoughts that _maybe_ he had feelings for her, but she never truly believed them. It was just too much to hope for. She had spent years thinking that she was alone in her feelings, that it just didn't seem possible that he could potentially share in them.

She hastily stands from her spot on the roof, only just realizing that her body shakes with cold—she has been out here too long—and carefully folds the note back up before placing it in her pocket.

She hurries down the stairs and practically falls through the door, stumbling slightly to regain her balance. She strides to the bar where Mira is having a casual conversation with Gray and Juvia, and slaps the note onto the counter.

Mira glances up at her in surprise at the wild look the blonde's eyes. Juvia also looks slightly bemused, and only Gray looks to be the only unaffected party. In fact, his expression is knowing as he gives Lucy a smirk.

"Mira," Lucy says, ignoring the ice mage. "Did you know about this?"

Mira gives her an expression that is so overly innocent, Lucy immediately narrows her eyes at her. Mira sighs.

"Yes," her tone reluctant. "But you can't hardly expect for us to give him away, now, can you? We're his friends, too."

Now Lucy sighs.

"Yeah, I know… but, Mira, I don't understand. If Natsu supposedly loves me as much as he so adamantly declares in this note, then why was he kissing your sister in an alley just yesterday?"

"He was?" Juvia looks surprised by this piece of information.

"It wasn't what it appeared to be, Lucy," Mira explains patiently. "Lisanna… came onto him. She went a bit overboard, I'm afraid, and feels terrible about it now. But, honestly, Lucy, it wasn't Natsu's doing at all. He pushed her away."

Lucy's heart sinks in her chest.

"I was horrible to him yesterday, Mira." She whispers, shame making her voice faint.

Gray snorts.

"Yeah, he stormed out of here pretty damn fast a little while ago. I wondered what bug had bit his ass." He chuckles. "Guess that would be you."

Juvia whacks him in the arm.

"Not funny,"

He grins sheepishly at her. Lucy ignores them both, focusing on Mira, instead.

"Natsu left?" She locks gazes with the take-over mage. When she nods in affirmation, Lucy whispers solemnly, "Because of me…" She slumps in a chair next to Gray and drops her head onto the counter, which smells faintly of beer, she notes with some annoyance.

"Aw, don't look so glum, Lucy," Mira pats her hand in consolement. "He just said he was taking a job-"

"Luuuuushi!"

Lucy turns to see Happy flying towards her, nearly slamming right into her chest in his haste.

"Happy? What's the matter? Why aren't you with Natsu?" She asks, somewhat accusingly.

"He wouldn't let me come," the Exceed explains in a pitiful tone. "He said he needed to think about some things. I thought maybe he told you where he was going."

Lucy shakes her head.

"No, I haven't seen him since…" she pauses a moment as a sudden realization sends dread flooding through her, "since I pointedly ignored him this morning like he was scum." She groans at her idiocy. How could she be so cruel? She hadn't even let him explain himself. Maybe if she had, she could have avoided all this pain.

"Well, then just go and get him," Gray's suggestion implies this is the most obvious option. There's just one problem…

"Yeah, but I don't have any idea where Natsu went."

"I know!" Mira sings, then gives Lucy a knowing wink when she looks her way. She waits for a beat for the take-over mage to continue. She doesn't.

"Um, are you going to tell me?" Lucy asks, voice coming out harsher than she'd intended in her frustration.

"Of course! Why didn't you ask sooner?" Mira turns and rifles through some papers under the counter. Lucy rolls her eyes. Of course, it's all her fault. "Here it is!" She hands Lucy a photocopy of a job request flyer. "This is the one Natsu just took."

Lucy scans it over briefly, then turns to Happy, who still hovers in the air near her. Her eyes flick to his wings. He frowns at her.

"What?"

"Happy, I need you to take me to Natsu immediately. Max speed!" She adds, then jumps off her stool and grips Happy by the knot of his pack and pulling him out the door with her.

"Luuuushi, stop!" He complains as she drags him along.

"You gotta help me, Happy!" She insists. "We have to go find Natsu, _now_."

"Okay, well let go! You're gonna make my fish fall out!"

She lets her hand loose and waits expectantly while he adjusts the bag to his liking, tapping her foot with impatience.

Finally, he gives her a nod and she turns around so he can pick her up before lifting her into the air and soaring off.

* * *

The snow under his feet crunches as he watches the ground. His mind not on the road ahead, but instead on the feisty blonde he's leaving behind, in hopes that she'll cool off enough by the time he gets back so he can explain.

He sighs, and a familiar sound reaches his ears but he ignores it, knowing he left his friend back in Magnolia, having decided that this would be strictly a solo mission.

That is, until he hears his name being called.

In the cloud covered sky a blur can be seen flying just below that clouds. When the duo finally catch sight of the somber fire mage trudging down the road, Lucy points him out.

"There he is. Happy, drop me."

Happy slows down, not believing her words, but when she starts fidgeting he picks up speed again and lets go of her.

Lucy folds her arms to her sides and yells out his name.

When he hears his name again, he turns around in enough time to see Lucy flying at him. Unable to think, he moves quickly and catches her before she can hit the ground, causing both of them to fall into a snowdrift.

When their senses come back online, Lucy sits up and looks into his eyes.

"Luce, what are you—?"

"I love you," she quickly interjects, before he can finish his question. "I am so sorry, Mira explained what happened between you and Lisanna. Please, please, forgive me for acting the way I did. I truly do love you."

Silence reigns as he looks into her eyes, looking for something. What that something could be, she has no clue.

Finally he leans forward and kisses her, hard. But just as quickly as his lips touch hers he pulls away again.

Deciding that one second isn't long enough, she leans down and captures his lips with her own. The world fades away, they forget they're lying in a snowdrift, and that a blue cat is watching this all happen from a short distance away.

When the need for air becomes greater than their want for the kiss to last, she pulls away. A flushed look settles on her cheeks, be it from the cold or from the kiss, she doesn't know and at this point doesn't care.

She moves back and he sits up so that they're sitting in the bank, knees touching as he says, "Luce, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you myself. Truth be told, I was afraid you'd turn me down. I mean, you're so perfect and I'm me." He finishes lamely, but it gets the point across as she leans forward and wraps her arms around him.

He wraps his arms around her in return and they stay like that until a certain annoying cat interrupts them.

"He loooooves you,"

She pulls away and scowls at the cat while he grins.

"Damn straight, Happy."

Natsu jumps up and pulls Lucy up before turning to the cat and frowning. "How did you two find me, anyway?"

Lucy reaches into a pocket and pulls out the copy of the mission that she snatched from Mira before she ran out of the guild. "Mira keeps a copy of every mission that comes through, so, we should get back before she hunts me down for taking it."

Natsu nods but as they turn to head back to Magnolia, Happy brings up an important question.

"What about your mission, Natsu?"

The fire mage looks back at the Exceed. "It's only catching a giant hamster, it can wait until after Christmas."

The usual "Aye, Sir," is all the Exceed replies, as they make their way back to Magnolia and the guild to spend Christmas with their family.

 _The End_

* * *

 **So as you can see I'm kind of beat up that this is over, but Stele assures me there will be more co-ops between us. If you haven't done so already, follow us that way you'll get to see when a new story drops. There's also the fact that I'll put it on my profile while Stele will most likely go through all her stories and add a second A/N letting y'all know. I'm not too sure with her.**

 **But hey her crazy matches mine, that's why we work so well together.**

 **But anyway, Stele and I wish y'all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and don't drown in the gravy boat. XD**

 **See y'all in a new story, or new chapters in my other stories.**

 **Grizzly out for the night.**

 **P.S. Santa put NaLu in your stockings this year.**


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